Ties That Bind
by Chaytons Angel
Summary: This story is connected to events and characters in my other fics Finding Home and Embracing the Future. When Charles heads to New Orleans to bring long overdue punishment to Luna's attacker he finds the rogue has recently changed another young girl. Moved by her loneliness, he claims her as his own knowing that will change his and Anna's lives in countless ways.
1. Chapter One

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be.

 **P.S.:** The idea for this story came to being during Chapter 3 of my Ben/ Luna (an OC) fic Embracing the Future. As a result, a portion of this first chapter is a direct copy of the events that transpired there. Also, this means that I now have four fics going at once, (Ties That Bind, Taming the Beast Within, Healing the Wounds of Time, all of which are in the Alpha and Omega verse, and Embracing the Future, over in Mercy Thompson verse) and a few more others planned, but this story kept plaguing my mind to be started so here it is. One last thing, this story starts prior to Taming the Beast Within, so in the beginning Leah is still alive.

********************A&O********************

Juliana Lawson was a very unhappy, lonely little girl. Well, she was almost a teenager, in ten months anyway, but she was small for her age. And alone. And unwanted. And unloved. She was a mulatto, that's what her foster parents called her, 'Mulatto, go put a different shirt on to cover up that hideous thing'. The 'hideous thing' was the physical reminder of why she was in foster care and not home with her mama and papa; a scar across her chest and collar bone left from the accident that took her parents from her. The Reddings didn't call her by her name. She was just a paycheck from the state to them. If she dared to speak up she was usually backhanded for it. Not hard enough to leave a lingering mark, oh no, Theo and Ally had perfected the art of abusing a child without leaving lingering marks that would indicate a problem in the home.

Juliana missed her mama and papa. They'd loved her so much, and they'd never once hit her, but they were gone. Ally said it was punishment for 'mixing their races'. See, mama was creole, black, and her papa was Choctaw and white, leaving her with a mixed heritage she knew nothing about but seemed to warrant mistreatment from her foster parents. She didn't understand why God would punish her for something she didn't do, but Ally said the bible was **filled** with tales of God punishing the child for the sins of the parents. She wasn't allowed to question it so even at church, which they made her go to because 'her heathen father damned her soul and it needed saving', when other kids asked questions, she'd stayed silent.

The sky was full of heavy, dark clouds that threatened to open up and drench New Orleans at any moment and she searched furtively for a place she could hide before it started. It would probably feel good on her skin and wash the dirt and grime off but she didn't want to have to sleep in wet clothes that night if she could avoid it. Wet clothes meant more bugs biting at her exposed skin than she would already have to deal with in the muggy night air. She sniffled and wiped her nose. Again she wondered why God had taken her mama and papa but left here there, alone.

Her stomach growled and she swallowed. She'd not eaten anything in two days, not since she'd run away from her foster home. Maybe she could find something that wasn't **too** spoiled in one of the garbage cans behind the many restaurants that filled up the French Quarter. She slipped through alley-ways and managed to find part of a sandwich that didn't **smell** bad. She just hoped it didn't make her too sick as she devoured it and again tried to figure out where to go while it rained. She ended up settling for a dark stoop that had a decent overhang that **might** keep her relatively dry.

********************A&O********************

Unbeknownst to Juliana, her presence hadn't gone as unnoticed as she'd hoped while she'd wandered the streets. A man watched her as she dug into the garbage can for something to eat. He'd seen her earlier in the day, at one of the parks, watching the other kids play with such longing he wondered why she didn't join them. She'd lifted her thick, dark hair off her neck and he got a glimpse of a scar marring her warm caramel skin. When a boy of about six got hurt and his mother rushed to him to soothe his boo-boo, the man saw tears on the elfin girl's cheeks. Ah. That was why she was out there by herself. He'd followed her when she left and he kept following. When he saw her heading for the garbage cans he stepped into a nearby deli, got a thick sub to go, and then waited until she slipped further away from the tourists to approach her where she'd found a spot that would most likely protect her from the rain unless the wind picked up as well. "Hey now, are you lost?" he asked, putting on a warm, friendly mask to win her over.

Juliana jumped at the voice. "I'm sorry, don't hit me. I didn't know this stoop was taken," she said and shook with fear.

The man squatted down to be closer to eye level with her. "I'm not going to hurt you," he said. "You look lost honey. Why are you out here, alone, when its getting ready to storm?"

"I... don't have any where to be," she hedged and had no idea that he could smell the lie.

"Oh, you poor thing. You must be so hungry and so tired. I was just getting ready to go home, it's not much, just a shack in the bayou, but it's warm and dry. But where are your parents?" If he kept her unbalanced and pushed the 'I'm just so concerned for you' vibe, he knew he'd be able to lull her into going with him.

"They.. died.. and now it's just me."

"Oh, I am so sorry sweetie. What about other family?" he asked and she just shook her head. He felt rain drops and wrinkled his nose. "Well, that just won't do. You can't stay out here all alone, there are some bad people in this world that would try to hurt a sweet little thing like you." He could tell from her reaction that she'd already had some trouble. "It's okay, I won't let them hurt you. You're safe with me, I won't let them touch you. Why don't you come with me? I've got a warm bed you can sleep in and you can have half of the sub I got for my dinner," he said and enticed the child to go with him.

It took a little time, once at his shack, to get her to tell him everything, and he crooned at her, told her she wasn't ugly, she was beautiful and her foster mother was just jealous of her. When she finally fell asleep, he knew he'd chosen well this time. No one would miss her and once she survived the change, he would finally have his own sweet little girl and he wouldn't feel that particular need to hunt again.

********************A&O********************

...

Juliana felt herself slowly waking up. Memories rushed in, pain so intense it had made her pass out several times and she'd thought for sure she was going to die. A beast, a monster, looming over her as teeth and claws ripped into her body causing her to scream until she was hoarse from it. Her eyes snapped open to find a strange man watching her and she tried to scramble off the cot she lay on but her body wasn't cooperating. And she was naked, which she only vaguely paid attention to because there was not one but two strange men in the room and she hurt too much to really move. She started to panic and her breathing became erratic.

"Easy, it's alright, you're safe now. No one is going to hurt you," Charles said as gently as he could. Now he was wishing he'd agreed to let Anna come along after all.

"That's what he said too, and then he... he changed into that thing..." Her voice trailed off as she started to hyperventilate.

"I know. But he's dead, he can't hurt you anymore." Charles moved slowly and knelt down so he was lower than the girl. He was the second most dominant werewolf in all of North America and he was taking a submissive position to make a child feel safer. The girl wouldn't understand it but her wolf would. Her wolf wouldn't feel so threatened. He could feel her submissiveness and he immediately wanted to wrap her in a cocoon to keep her safe.

Juliana stared at this large man who was being... gentle. He was clearly Native American, he reminded her a little of her papa before he'd died. "He... he said he'd take care of me, he said I'd never have to go back to them... why did he hurt me?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks and Charles couldn't stop himself. He gathered the child into his arms and rocked her gently while she cried. "He was a bad man but you're safe now. **I** won't let any harm come to you little one," he murmured. "Didn't have to go back to who?" he asked gently.

"My... foster parents," she replied after a moment. "They're... not very nice, not to me, and he said he could take me away from them so they couldn't hurt me ever again."

"Where are your parents little one?" Again he kept his voice gentle.

"They died...three years ago, when I was nine. I don't have anyone," she whispered brokenly.

Brother Wolf growled in his head. That put the girl at twelve years old. She was just a baby and that bastard hurt her. "Yes, you do. You have me. You aren't alone now little one and you don't have to go back to those people."

...

Juliana was trying to keep up with everything he said, everything that happened. He'd held her, rocked her as she'd cried, and then talked to someone he called 'Da' about taking her home, wherever that was. She tried to understand it all, but her mind was still fuzzy and before she knew it darkness ate up her vision and dragged her back into unconsciousness.

********************A&O********************

When she awoke again, she was in a warm bed but she was still naked and that made her uncomfortable. The man who'd saved her, Charles he said his name was, left so she could get dressed and then, when she let him back in the room, he told her she was getting a new family. He and his wife were taking her in. They wouldn't let anyone hurt her, not ever again. Even though he made her feel safe, she didn't know if she could trust him. The other man had said that too, that she was safe, and he'd hurt her more than anyone else ever had. She was quiet in the backseat of Rene's truck as they headed for the small airport and the plane that would take her away from New Orleans. She'd never been anywhere else, never been in a plane, and she started to panic. Was she really safe? It was while in the middle of the panic that her first change came upon her.

Rene swore under his breath but managed to get them to the airport without anyone seeming to notice they had a young girl slowly, painfully shifting from human to werewolf in the backseat. "Before the Marrok brought our kind out to the world, what just happened could have gone very badly for us," he said mildly. They'd reached the airport and he got out to open the back door so she could get out when she was done.

Charles ignored him because his focus was on the tiny werewolf pup that lifted blue-gray eyes to his before she whined and lowered them. Her fur was a dark brown with hints of black on her ears, tip of her tail, and her feet. "It's alright little one, if you feel safer like that, you can stay that way for now. There's food on the plane, I know you'll be hungry soon because of the change." He waited until he was sure touching her wouldn't hurt her and then he scooped her up, grabbed her bag, and headed for his plane.

Sure enough, no sooner did he get them airborne and she was whining for something to eat. Charles put the plane on auto-pilot and fixed her a plate of raw meat, that would be best for her in this form, and got himself something to eat as well.

Juliana took one sniff at the plate he set before her and then proceeded to devour every bit of raw meat on it. She felt half starved, and in a sense she was because she'd been so hungry before her attack. When she'd eaten her fill and drank what seemed like a gallon of water, she hopped up into the co-pilot's seat and curled up there. She watched Charles until her eyes slid closed and she was once again asleep. This time it was just sleep, not a state of intense unconsciousness like before.

********************A&O********************

Halfway to Montana Juliana started whining in her sleep and Charles smelled her fear. He figured she was dreaming about her attack and he scooped her up to put her in his lap. His fingers slid through her fur and he crooned softly at her. Brother Wolf helped him to soothe her fears so she drifted back to peaceful sleep. He knew if his Da could see him in that moment, he'd be shocked at the tenderness Charles was showing the pup. He was his father's enforcer and yet he was cooing to a sleeping pup so that her sleep was undisturbed. The two images really didn't line up well.

Half an hour before the plane landed Juliana awoke. "I need you to go into the other part of the plane and change back, little one. It will be a lot easier for you to adjust to things if you can ask questions and you can't do that in wolf form," Charles told her. He cracked a hint of a smile at the way the pup huffed as if it was such a chore then left to do as he asked. Charles knew both Bran and Anna would be waiting for them and he wanted to introduce her to them while she was human. He knew Anna was going to adore her the instant she saw Juliana. His Da, well he could be unpredictable sometimes. There was no telling how **he** was going to take it. Leah, well, he could care less about her opinion. He wasn't letting that bitch any where **near** his child. She'd already been hurt enough by those who knew nothing about kindness, he wasn't letting Leah add to it.

********************A&O********************

Anna stood next to her father-in-law and tried to be still. She was too nervous for that though and she started to bounce a little in place. "Why does it always seem like it takes forever for him to actually land after he says he's coming in for a landing?" she asked but didn't expect an answer.

"Because you are anxious to see him," Bran replied. "What? You didn't expect an answer? Don't ask such silly questions then," he added.

Anna rolled her eyes at him. "You know it was rhetorical." The anxiety she'd been feeling faded once the plane came to a stop. She waited for the door to open and headed toward it only to be stopped by Bran. "Wait. If the girl is as timid as Charles says, we don't want to scare her. I know, you're an Omega, you can make it all better, but I would like to see how my son deals with this if she doesn't want to get off the plane."

Anna looked at Bran and grinned. "Oh, that is so dirty, I like it," she said and laughed a little. She had to admit, she was curious how her mate would handle it too.

********************A&O********************

Juliana finished her change with enough time to adjust to being back on two legs and get dressed before the plane finally landed. She sat there almost frozen with fear until Charles exited the cockpit. She felt safer in his presence, until he opened the door and she saw that there were two people waiting for them.

"It's alright little one, that's Da and Anna. I know, you're asking yourself how is he my Da when he doesn't look old enough to be anyone's Da, much less mine. Once a werewolf reaches a certain stage, he or she stops aging, and if they were older when they were changed, the magic that makes them a werewolf gives them a more youthful appearance. I don't know how it does it, I just know it does," he said to her as he moved to exit the plane.

Juliana watched him and swallowed before she followed him. She stayed behind him as they approached the two people waiting for them and peeked around him at them once he stopped.

Anna got quick glances of chocolate brown eyes, hair as dark as her mate's, and lovely caramel skin as the girl peeked around him at them. "Hello there. I'm Anna," she said and pushed soothing vibes her way.

Juliana relaxed a little and slowly stepped out from behind Charles. "Hi," she said shyly and then her eyes went to the blonde man at Anna's side. She tipped her head as if she was trying to figure him out.

"Hello Juliana. It is very nice to meet the little girl who wrapped my very independent son around her pinky finger the moment he set eyes on her," Bran said and was amused by the grunt Charles made.

Juliana giggled at the comment. "You're the one he talked to on the phone, the one he calls 'Da'? You don't look like his papa," she said.

"Charles takes after his mother, who died a long time ago. My older son, Samuel, he looks more like me," Bran told her. "I see why you like the little imp, she's got spunk," he said to his son.

Anna laughed and knelt down so she was closer to Juliana's height. "Ignore them, they can be silly sometimes. Once you get settled and feel comfortable in our home, in your new home, you and I are going to do some online shopping so you can get whatever you want for your bedroom, okay?" she said.

Juliana's eyes teared up and she nodded. These people didn't even know her and they were treating her like she was special. They were treating her the way her mama and papa used to, with... love.

When the tears spilled over Anna pulled the girl into her arms and held her. "Shh, it's okay now Juliana. You're not ever going to be alone again. Promise. This is your home and we're your family now," she added. When Juliana's arms wrapped around her so the girl was clinging to her it made Anna's heart hurt for the pain she could feel pouring from such a tiny frame. She lifted her eyes to her mate and she hoped he'd made the wolf who'd attacked the girl suffer for the pain he'd caused her.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was nervous as they approached the ranch-style house. It wasn't large but it was bigger than even the house her foster parents had back in New Orleans. Her old foster parents. She had to think of them that way. These were her new foster parents. She didn't know that it would be more than fostering, that a more permanent situation was in store for her, so for now she looked to them as 'foster parents'. The inside of the house was beautiful with its hardwood floors, granite fireplace, and thick rugs. She was afraid to get on the rugs, afraid she'd ruin them and get in trouble.

Anna and Charles both felt her fear and Anna moved to her. "It's okay. I felt a lot like that when I first saw the house too. Charles saved me from a bad man too. I wasn't a little girl, I was all grown up, but he still saved me. He does that sometimes," she said and was rewarded with a shy smile. "Why don't you take your shoes off and go feel how soft the rug is? It'll feel so good against your toes."

Juliana bit her lip and looked up to Charles for confirmation that it was okay. She would come to trust and love them equally but for now, he was the one she looked to if she was unsure. When he nodded at her she toed them off, she wasn't wearing socks because the few pairs she'd owned were dirty, and then went to the rug. It was thick, soft, and she groaned a little. "It's so soft," she said and then gave them a rare grin. "I like how soft it is." She stood there sliding her feet over it a moment before she went back to them and bent down to put her shoes back on.

"You can leave them off if you want. Why don't I show you your room? I didn't know if you had any clothes with you, but I'd asked Charles to give me an idea of what your size was and got some stuff for you so you can change. The bathroom is right here," Anna said and opened the door to the bathroom that was across the hall from Juliana's room.

Juliana was expecting her room to be little more than a closet, even with as nice as they were being to her. So when Anna opened the door to her room she stood there and stared. "This... this is mine?" she asked. The room was easily four times the size of the one she'd slept in at her old foster home. There was a simple twin bed with a patchwork quilt spread out on top of it, a chest of drawers that was taller than she was, and another dresser along the opposite wall. What really drew her attention was the wide windowsill that someone, most likely Anna, had filled with pillows to turn it into a window seat.

"It's all yours, sweetie," Anna replied. Her heart hurt for the look on the child's face. She'd been so hurt by the people who should have taken care of her. But no more. Mama wolf wasn't going to let **anyone** hurt her baby. She stood next to her mate and felt his silent anger as well. They had a lot of repairing to do with Juliana, but he'd helped her heal, they could both help their daughter.

"I am going to go fix dinner," Anna said after a moment. "Is there anything you can't eat or don't like Juliana?" she asked.

Juliana turned to her and hunched her shoulders. "No, I'll eat what you give me," she mumbled.

Charles moved to her and knelt down. "No, we will never give you something that could make you sick or that you don't like. You will never have to eat something just because it was made. My mate loves brussel sprouts but I cannot stand them. She makes some for herself and always makes something different for me. So if there is something you don't like, little one, you just tell us, okay?"

Juliana nodded then looked to Anna again. "Um...I can't have nuts, they make me really sick."

Anna could tell, with the way she said that, there was an ugly story behind it. Anna wanted to just hug the hurt away but she knew she couldn't. "Is there anything you really, really like that you haven't had in a while?" she asked.

"Pizza." She didn't even think about it, it just came out. "With lots of cheese and pepperoni," she added then blushed.

Anna flashed a grin. "Perfect," she said and went off to throw a few pizzas together. She had some pre-made crusts, she could make her own but this was faster, and soon enough the house filled with the smell of them cooking.

By that time Charles was in his office going over the paperwork that transferred guardianship of Juliana to him and Anna. There were adoption forms as well, those he and Anna would have to file themselves. He could hear the water in the bathroom and he knew Juliana was taking a shower. He figured once she felt safe with them she'd more than likely start taking baths. Girls did that, right? He knew his Anna loved to soak in the tub so he figured Juliana would too.

Anna got the pizzas out of the oven, cut them, and went to let Charles know it was ready since Juliana was in the bathroom still. As she passed the bathroom door she heard soft weeping and stopped. A gentle knock was the only warning she gave Juliana before she slipped in, went to her, and pulled her into her arms. The water was still running, but she'd gotten out and was dressed in a pair of warm pajamas that had penguins on them. "It's okay Jules, you just let it all out," Anna said softly. She hummed to soothe her and they stood like that for several minutes.

"My mama used to call me that," Juliana said after her cries subsided.

"Do you want me to stop? I don't want to upset you sweetie," Anna replied.

"No!" She was even startled by how firm that came out. "No... I like it," she added and returned the hug Anna gave her. "I miss them, I miss my mama and papa," she said and sniffled.

"I know sweetie, and you will for a long time, but I bet you they're watching over you and they know you're finally safe." She heard Juliana's stomach growl and smiled. "Come on, dinner is ready, and you look like you're ready to fall asleep where you stand," she added and gently guided her out of the bathroom after she turned the water off. "Charles, dinner is ready," she called out instead of going to the study since Juliana was clinging to her hand.

Juliana's mouth was watering by the time they got to the dining room, and it wasn't that far of a walk. She was so hungry and the food smelled so good, but even after the plate was in front of her, she hesitated.

It was Anna who understood why she didn't touch the plate. "It's okay Jules, you can eat. When you're hungry, you eat. You don't have to wait for everyone else to eat, or to finish eating." She smiled at the startled look she got. "I've known people like your old foster parents. People who wouldn't let their children start eating until after they did. I had a friend when I was a kid who's parents were like that. I always thought it was mean."

"Thank you," Juliana said and dug into her food. She ate with a ferocity that told Anna and Charles both that she'd been neglected in a lot of ways before fate brought her into their lives.

********************A&O********************

Later that evening, after they'd gotten Juliana settled in bed, Anna and Charles sat on the sofa talking quietly. "So, I asked Bran to look into those foster parents she had, after he got everything else taken care of, and do you know they have had four foster children die from 'accidents' but for some reason **no one** has considered that maybe the foster parents were behind the deaths?" Anna told her mate.

Charles looked at her. "You think someone knows but isn't talking? Do you think they might not be what they seem and that's how they keep avoiding suspicion?" he asked.

"I don't know, but I'd like the New Orleans pack to keep an eye on those people, just in case. I mean, there is no way Juliana is this fragile, this timid, just because of her attack. Something else had to have caused it and I'd bet that something was her foster parents," she said with an angry growl.

Charles dipped his head and kissed his mate. "You are adorable in mama wolf mode," he teased before he became serious. "You're right, and I already asked Rene and his pack to keep a watch on the Reddings. If they're hurting children, it is going to stop, we'll see to that," he told her. He stood and took her with him. "Let's go to bed, it's late and I have had a very long day," he said and after looking in on their daughter he took his mate to bed. One thing was certain, their lives were definitely going to be different now.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

 **P.S.** If anyone is curious where the inspiration for Juliana, in terms of appearance, came from, when I first envisioned her, I saw Rue, from The Hunger Games, and then I found the perfect photo (just remove the spacing): www. amandlastenberg uploads/8/2/7/7/8277041/1299865 .jpg? 1385671904

********************A&O********************

Three days after coming to Aspen Creek Juliana found herself sitting in the truck between Charles and Anna. When she'd first arrived, there'd been a little bit of snow on the ground, but she'd been so in shock over all that had happened she'd not even registered it. Today was different. The snow was deeper and she kept peering over Anna's side of the truck to look at it. They were on their way to Bran's for her joining ceremony. All morning Anna had sat with her and gone over what to expect but she was still scared and nervous.

"It's okay little one, you'll do fine," Charles murmured. "We'll be right beside you and none of the wolves here would ever harm you."

"Are there really seventy werewolves here?" Juliana whispered.

"Around that, yeah," Anna replied. "Bran said that he asked some of the older wolves to refrain from attending, because you were nervous about the entire thing, and after what happened, it would be easier for you if you didn't have every single wolf there watching you. Still, it will probably be a little scary and overwhelming for you, but like Charles said, we will be right here," she added and gave Juliana's hand a gentle squeeze. She'd already decided she would hold her hand to help her keep calm during the ceremony.

"I'm scared," Juliana whispered. "What if... what if they don't want me here? Will you make me go away?"

"No, sweetie, that won't happen. You see, we have someone very important on our side," Anna told her.

Juliana gave her a puzzled look. "Who?"

"Da," Charles said. "He is the one who decides who becomes pack and who goes elsewhere, and he's already claimed you just like we have, little one."

Juliana's eyes widened at that. "Oh." She didn't know what else to say but her fear lessened with that knowledge. She rested her head against Charles' arm while he drove and with Anna holding her hand she felt a little sleepy. She'd spent a lot of the last three days sleeping but it wasn't always peaceful. "Will I ever stop seeing it?" she asked suddenly and they both knew 'it' was her attack.

"You will, it just takes a little time sweetie," Anna assured her. "For people like you and me, people who didn't agree to the change, it can be really hard to forget about the pain and fear but it will go away. Promise," she added. It had taken quite a while for Anna to work past the horror of her change but her situation was also fairly unique because of the **way** Justin had gone about it.

"Okay," Juliana replied. In the three days she'd been with them she'd already begun to trust Anna and Charles completely.

********************A&O********************

Bran met them at the door. Those in the pack who'd come, which was roughly three-fourths of them, were waiting downstairs and he'd sent his mate off to Missoula to shop. She would feel the addition of a pack member but she was so used to it by now that it wouldn't even phase her.

"Da?" Charles was puzzled as to why his father met them at the door and didn't seem inclined to move to let them pass just yet.

"I have a gift for the guest of honor," Bran said and knelt down. He took a small box out of his pocket and from it he removed a gold necklace that he placed around Juliana's neck. It was a locket that he'd had inscribed on the back to read 'You Are Loved. Always.'

When Juliana read those words her eyes filled with tears. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she whispered.

"Because, dear child, you are **ours** and we love you. And because you deserve it," Bran replied and kissed her forehead. As far as Bran was concerned, she was his granddaughter. Blood didn't matter. His son had claimed her as his child, that made her family. A secretive smile played across his face but when Charles gave him a questioning look Bran shrugged one shoulder and turned to go back into the house. His mind replayed the phone conversation he'd had the night after Charles had brought Juliana home...

********************A&O********************

Samuel had just gotten in from a very long day in the ER when his phone rang. He rubbed his eyes before he saw it was his Da calling and answered it. "Hello Da," he said and he knew he sounded as tired as he felt.

"Samuel, you sound exhausted. Are they working you too hard?" Bran asked. In some ways his older son was fragile. He seemed better since he'd been reunited with Ariana, a fae he knew from a very long time ago, but Bran still worried.

"It's fine Da. Is something wrong?" Samuel asked. It was rare for his Da to call out of the blue for no reason.

"No, nothing is wrong son. I thought you might be interested in knowing that your detached-from-everyone brother has become a father."

"Come again Da? It sounded like you just said Charles has become a father?"

Bran chuckled. "That is exactly what I just said, Samuel."

"What exactly do you mean Da?"

"While Charles was in New Orleans bringing Luna's attacker to some long overdue justice he discovered the rogue had attacked another child. She survived and already has Charles wrapped around her little finger. He and Anna are in the process of adopting her."

Samuel was stunned. "Well I'll be..." He never would have imagined Charles choosing to adopt a child. "It sounds to me like she's got you wrapped there a bit too, Da," Samuel said because he'd detected that note of possessiveness in his father's voice. "Has she become pack yet?" he added.

"No, we will do that in two days. She's quite shaken up so we're giving her a few days to adjust."

"Good, I want to be there for this," he said and as soon as he hung up with his father he called and got his schedule cleared at the hospital. He wanted to see his younger brother's reaction to the child he was claiming as his own becoming pack. Well, he also wanted to **meet** his niece. He felt a pang of... sorrow and envy and pushed it away. This was a happy time and he would be happy for his brother.

********************A&O********************

"Da, what's that look for?" Charles asked, eyes narrowed a bit. He wanted to growl at being ignored.

"What's wrong?" Juliana asked. She felt his unease and stopped in her tracks.

Anna gave her mate a look. "Don't mind Charles, he gets grumpy sometimes. Bran likes to be secretive and Charles is grumpy because he can't figure out what the secret is."

Charles realized he'd upset Juliana and went to kneel in front of her. It seemed to soothe her when he or Anna did that because she felt less threatened. "I'm sorry little one, I didn't mean to upset you. Anna is right, Da is being secretive and I do get grumpy when I can't figure out what he's being secretive about. But I promise you, you're safe. I'm sure its just another surprise waiting, like the locket he gave you."

"So it's a good surprise then?" she asked and Anna could practically see her wolf's ears going up at the thought. She could imagine, if Juliana was in wolf form, her ears would be perked up and she'd have an excited look on her face.

"Yes, it's a good surprise," Charles said and stood to continue downstairs. When he felt Juliana's hand slip into his he smiled down at her. The child didn't know how rare a thing that was, for Charles Cornick to smile at anyone. The only other person he was so open with, emotionally, was his mate.

Before they reached the huge area where the pack waited Juliana froze again. She could feel the energy coming from them and it scared her enough that she felt panicked.

Anna sent soothing energy towards her daughter. "Remember what I told you. They're all here to welcome you into the pack. I know you can feel their energy, and I know it can be scary if you don't understand what it is, but you are safe Jules. I would sooner cut off my own arm with a silver blade than ever let anyone harm you again," she swore. The first full day she'd been with them, Juliana asked a lot of questions about werewolves, because of all the different myths out there, and Anna told her that some were true, others weren't. The one about silver being bad for them was very true. "Not a single soul in that room would harm a child, any child. Children are very precious to us." So many of a werewolf's children didn't survive pregnancy so for most of their kind, children were extremely precious. "We're right here Jules," she added gently.

Juliana's breathing slowed and she rubbed her cheek against first Anna's hand and then Charles'. The touch calmed her just as much as Anna's energy did. She was able to step into the larger room and when all eyes turned to her she didn't feel an overwhelming urge to hide behind Charles.

Charles and Anna guided Juliana closer to Bran, who stood in the center of the room. Really the main reason that Bran had asked some of the pack to refrain from being there was **because** it was a child joining, a child who'd been abused and was very timid. He'd lived a very long time, he understood how terrifying the energy of over seventy wolves could be for someone so young who was already in a fragile state.

The night before, Bran had stopped by to talk with his granddaughter and, after asking her what her full name was, he'd smirked a little and called her 'Youthful Leaping Water', which had made her giggle. She didn't feel like giggling now, looking up into his so serious face.

Bran gave his granddaughter a gentle smile before he began the ceremony. He knew Anna had coached her through it all morning so Juliana wouldn't trip over any of the words.

"Look me in the eyes with no offense taken or meant, Juliana Tallulah Lawson."

"I see you Bran Cornick, Alpha of the Marrok."

"Will you join with us, to hunt, to fight, to live, and run?"

"Under the moon, I will hunt, fight, live and run with you and yours, who shall be mine."

"We claim you," Charles growled. There was so much pride in his voice as he said those words, words that were echoed by every pack member gathered around them.

"I claim you," Bran said and took the knife his son held for him to remove a small piece of flesh from his arm. "Alpha's flesh and blood you shall be. From this day forward, mine to me and mine. Pack."

"Yours to you, mine to me." This was the only part she was squeamish about but when Bran offered her the piece of flesh Juliana closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and made herself swallow it when it hit her tongue. She felt Anna's arm wrap around her, holding on tight, and didn't understand why at first. Then the power that was building snapped and hit her tiny frame with full force. Fire filled her veins and if Anna hadn't been holding onto her she would have collapsed from the intensity of the pack magic that enveloped her. Slowly it faded enough that she felt steady and there was a warm, connected feeling all around her.

Anna held onto her and cooed at her until she was sure Juliana could stand on her own again. Then she let go but stayed close.

"If anyone but Da, and maybe Anna, had called and told me my little brother had become a Da himself I wouldn't have believed them."

The voice made Juliana jump because it was so close and she darted behind Charles to hide. She gripped the back of his shirt and felt safer that way.

"I'm sorry little wolf, I didn't mean to startle you," Samuel said gently. It would become his nickname for his niece; Little Wolf.

"Samuel? What are you doing here?" Charles asked and glared over at their Da. So **this** was what the secretive smile was for.

"Do you really think I **wouldn't** come to see the pride on your face when your daughter, **my** niece, became pack?" Samuel countered. "Thank you for telling me I was an uncle, by the way," he added dryly.

"Oh god, I can't believe we forgot to call you, Samuel," Anna said. "Things have just been so crazy with getting Jules settled in and everything."

Samuel laughed and hugged his sister-in-law. "I'm teasing Anna."

"Oh. I should have figured that out," Anna replied with a cheeky grin.

Juliana relaxed slowly and moved out from behind Charles. When Bran joined them she looked between him and Samuel before she blurted out, "You're right, he does!"

"I do, what?" Samuel asked, confused.

This time it was Anna who laughed. "When Jules and Charles arrived and she stopped hiding behind Charles she told Bran, just as pretty as you please and as bold as can be, that he didn't look like Charles' papa."

"To which I informed the little imp that Charles took after his mother but that my older son, Samuel, looked more like me," Bran finished for her.

Samuel chuckled. "Aye, that I do," he admitted. "Welcome to the family, Little Wolf. You know, you are one very lucky little girl," Samuel told her.

"I am? How come?" Juliana asked.

Samuel knelt down so he was eye level with her. "Because you have a Da, a GrandDa, and an uncle who would move heaven and earth to make you feel happy, safe, and loved and a mama who would tear into anyone who tried to hurt her baby," he replied. "It's alright if you don't feel comfortable calling us those things, Little Wolf," he said at the way she bit her lip. "That doesn't change anything. We are still your family Juliana."

She visibly relaxed at that. "Okay," she said softly and leaned into Anna who had her hand resting on Juliana's shoulder.

"You are, by far, the most adorable little girl I have ever seen," a feminine voice said and this time Juliana didn't jump but she did shift a little closer to Anna.

"Hi there, I'm Sage, you can call me Auntie Sage because, even though I'm not **actually** a Cornick or related to them in any way, I consider Anna my family so that makes you family too," Sage said. She exuded an air of friendliness that made it difficult for Juliana to even think about being afraid of her. She might not be an Omega but Sage had her own 'talents' that had really flourished since coming to Aspen Creek twenty years ago.

Juliana giggled at that. "Hi. I'm Juliana," she said and offered her hand. Sage shook it and gave her a warm smile. "Juliana is such a pretty name and it fits it's owner," she said to her. "Oh, finally, the food has arrived," she added as platters filled with food were set out on long tables. She and Anna guided Juliana towards it. She didn't have to be told that Jules was adjusting to the knowledge that she didn't have to ask for permission before she ate. She'd seen it in the girl's eyes when she'd looked so longingly at the tables.

"She's been through a lot, hasn't she?" Samuel asked his brother. They were watching as Anna and Sage helped her fill a plate so she could eat her fill.

"She has," Charles replied. "Her parents were killed in a car accident when she was nine. She'd been seriously injured herself and from what we've been able to get from her, until her change she'd been scarred from a nasty gash that almost killed her too. Then the state placed her with a foster family that has already had four children die from 'accidents', none of which brought the foster parents under investigation and yes I have people looking into that, and Juliana was abused by them. The first night, Anna asked her if there was anything she didn't like or anything that she couldn't eat, because of allergies to food, and Juliana told us she would eat what we gave her. When we told her she had a say in it, she told us about a nut allergy, and I swear to you Samuel, I firmly believe they gave her foods with nuts in them just because of the allergy. She was half starved when I rescued her from the rogue who attacked her. They didn't let her eat right, or enough. If they aren't human, I don't know that I'd be able to stop Brother Wolf from hurting them if our paths ever cross." There was a growl in his voice. "When I first found her, she was so scared, and if you'd heard the emptiness in her voice when she told me her parents were dead and she didn't have anyone... it would have made even you want to hunt them down." Of the two of them Samuel was the calmer one.

Samuel put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder because he could see Brother Wolf in his eyes. "Easy, you got her away from that and she will heal. You don't want to scare your pup," he said firmly. He watched his brother's eyes turn to their human color. "Tell me the wolf who hurt her and Luna suffered." It was obvious he'd singled them out because they were submissive.

"He did. Brother Wolf enjoyed playing with him first."

"Good." Samuel might be the calmer one, the one least prone to violence despite being so dominant, but even he would have relished that kill.

********************A&O********************

After eating Anna watched her daughter. Now that she was adjusting to the pack bonds she could see Juliana practically vibrating with energy. "Why don't we go for a run after dinner to celebrate your joining?" Anna suggested. "A lot of the pack will be doing that anyway and I think you'll have a lot of fun running in the woods, especially with the snow."

"I've never walked in snow," Juliana said. "What do you mean go for a run?" she added, confused.

"I mean, change to wolf form and go for a run. It will help you to burn off some of that pent up energy that has you almost bouncing in your seat," Anna explained.

Juliana blushed a little. "Is.. it safe?" she asked.

"We'll all be right there, you couldn't be safer pup," Bran said before anyone else could.

"Okay," Juliana said then bit her lip. "I.. don't know how to do that.. how to change to the wolf," she whispered. She'd managed to return to human form on the plane but it wasn't easy and she wasn't sure if she could do it again.

"Your wolf does. All you'll have to do is relax and let the wolf take hold. I'll also be there to help you," Anna promised.

"Me too," Sage put in.

Because of Juliana's age, Anna and Sage took her to an area where she would have privacy so she could get undressed and start the slow, painful process of changing to her wolf form. While Sage went ahead and started her own change, because her more dominant wolf would still be able to help Juliana if she ran into trouble, Anna waited until she knew her daughter was well on her way before she stripped and started her own change. Despite starting later she was still done before Jules because this was her first intentional change and they always took longer. When she was sure it wouldn't hurt, she moved to Juliana and nuzzled her then went to the door to be let out.

Charles was the last to change because he waited until he heard his mate's whine and let her, Sage, and Juliana out. Once he shifted he too nuzzled the tiny wolf that was his daughter and they headed out into the woods as a family.

It was obvious that Juliana had never been in snow before. When she first stepped out onto the snow that covered the ground she kept picking her paws up and shaking them to get it off. It was one of the cutest things Anna had ever seen. She heard the soft huff as Juliana finally resigned herself to having the snow cling to her fur. It wasn't long after that before Anna had her daughter running and playing in the snow with her and the sound of happy yipping filled the air. Charles watched them play as the sun set and the stars slowly came out. There was a sliver of moon and he turned his face up to its pale light before he felt the gentle tug of small teeth on his leg. He gave a half growl before he found himself dragged into their play, but he wasn't the only one. Soon Juliana had Bran and Samuel playing as well. If there'd been any doubt before that she was going to change all their lives, that doubt was gone now.


	3. Chapter Three

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

 **P.S.** For those who have also read Healing the Wounds of Time, I went back and altered the beginning of chapter 12 to add Juliana into that scene. This way readers of both know that I did make it so that the stories match up.

********************A&O********************

After her joining ceremony Juliana found she really liked the snow. She knew she would have to start school after the Christmas holidays came and went, though secretly part of her wanted to start right away, and she would have school work brought to her, the delay in attending classes was to give her time to learn how to control her wolf. Despite secretly wanting to go back to school right away, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about it as well. It was a new school with new kids, would they accept her like the pack did?

"Jules, honey, why don't you take a couple of books with you to Aunt Sage's?" Anna said. They'd learned very quickly that Juliana was a voracious reader. Her favorite place to curl up and read at home was the windowsill seat in her bedroom that Anna had made for her when she'd come to live with them.

"Okay," Juliana replied. Chances were Thea would stop by and she and Sage would get to talking about grown-up stuff anyway. She went to the bookshelf in her room, one of the few additions she'd made to it thus far, and got a couple of books she hadn't read yet. She knew she could make any changes she wanted but she'd not settled on a favorite color yet so for now the walls were still the pale yellow they'd been when she first arrived.

Anna and Charles had to go to Missoula to pick up a werewolf who was joining their pack and because of the weather they were flying there. They'd given Juliana the choice of going with them or staying with Sage and she'd picked the latter. She'd only been on a plane the one time and she'd been so upset at the time she wasn't entirely sure she liked it. Best not to find out she hated flying while on an hour and twenty minute round trip flight.

Juliana would have much rather gone to her grandpa's but she knew Leah was there. They'd explained that Leah wasn't very friendly and they didn't want Juliana getting upset so it was best to just avoid the woman. It was funny, Charles and Anna were still Charles and Anna but she'd already begun calling Bran 'Grandpa'. Anna figured it was easier for Juliana to call Bran that because she'd never known her grandparents while referring to her and Charles as 'mama' and 'papa' would take more time.

********************A&O********************

Juliana waved at them when they left then went into Sage's house to spend the day. Sage **always** had all kinds of things to munch on, mostly things that were sweet and fattening. The first time she'd visited she asked Sage why she made so many sweet things, like brownies and cookies. Sage had replied 'Because we won't get fat eating them so we're free to indulge!'

"Hey short stuff," Sage said when Juliana set her bag down by one of the comfortable chairs. "I know, I'm your second choice. You'd rather be at Bran's hanging out with him, but I'm okay with that. Whatcha got to read today?" she asked.

"Hi Auntie Sage," she said and blushed a little. "Ummm... it's the first two books in the Throne of Glass series. Well, they have some books before these, they're kinda like short story types, but I don't have them," Juliana replied.

Sage made a mental note of that since Christmas was only a few months away. "What's it about?" she inquired.

"The main character is an assassin, and she's really young, only eighteen, and the first book the Prince wants her to fight in a competition for a new royal assassin. It's supposed to be good," Juliana informed her.

"Sounds interesting," Sage said. They played a couple of card games, it was Juliana's turn to pick what they did and that was what she'd chosen, last time they'd played board games, and then just before lunch Thea came over. After they ate Sage and Thea sat on the sofa chatting while Juliana curled up in a chair to read.

Juliana was just getting into the second book, she's devoured the first one, when she was hit with a pain so intense it made her cry out and drop the book. For a minute or two she had trouble breathing it was so bad. She was so disoriented by it that she was startled when Sage suddenly picked her up.

"It's okay Jules, I know it hurts but the pain will fade," Sage assured her.

"What happened Auntie Sage?" Juliana asked.

Sage debated on what to say and went with the truth. "Your grandpa's mate just died. There is always pain when we lose a pack member but when they die it's always worse."

Juliana's eyes widened. "Oh no, poor Grandpa," she said softly. She put her books in her bag and was quiet the entire ride over to Bran's.

Sometimes being small, and submissive, had it's perks. Juliana was able to stay close to Bran throughout the day while going mostly unnoticed. At some point she fell asleep and woke up when Samuel arrived. She'd crawled into Bran's lap for a while and then, after giving Uncle Samuel a hug, she was whisked home and tucked into her bed. She didn't quite understand why her grandpa didn't seem too upset over his mate's death but she was afraid to ask about it. She didn't want to look dumb.

When her mama and papa had died, there were no funerals. She didn't even know if they were buried or cremated. As a result Juliana didn't know what to expect at Leah's funeral. She listened to people talk about the woman and she was... puzzled. Charles, Anna, and even Bran all said Leah wasn't very friendly but all these people said nice things about her. She wanted to ask why but she couldn't at the funeral.

********************A&O********************

"Grandpa, can I ask you a question?" Juliana said once the funeral was over and they'd all gone back to Bran's house.

"Of course you can, Juliana," Bran replied.

She bit her lip before she looked up at him and asked her question. "How come all those people said so many nice things about Leah if she wasn't friendly?"

Bran patted his lap and waited for her to get settled before he replied. "Often, when someone dies, those who attend the funeral will think of kind things to say because they believe it is wrong to speak ill of the dead."

Juliana thought about what he said. "Does that mean they lied?" she asked and her nose wrinkled at the thought.

Bran gave her a faint smile. "Yes, it means they lied." Juliana was a very bright girl but in some ways, due to the abuse and neglect she'd received the last three years, she was much younger than most twelve year old girls. He could see that changing once she was around other kids her own age though. He could see her blossoming and coming out of her shell a bit.

"So how come Anna didn't say nice things?" she countered.

Bran chuckled. "Because, dear child, she knows how I feel about lies and she wouldn't disrespect **my** feelings on the matter."

"Oh. That makes sense," Juliana replied and cuddled there for a bit before she wandered off to get something to eat and find a quiet spot to read until she, Charles, and Anna went home.

********************A&O********************

By the time the Christmas holiday rolled around Juliana had been with them for three months. She'd finally settled on a color scheme for her bedroom; purple and gray; complete with a canopy bed. They'd painted the ceiling a deep purple and added silver stars to mimic the night sky.

They'd planned on waiting until after the first of the year to let Juliana start school but by the end of October she was begging them to let her start before that. She loved school and having her work brought to her just wasn't the same. She'd learned enough control that Anna and Charles capitulated and let her go. The sheer joy that caused her made them both happy they'd relented.

It was a week before Christmas, the last day of school before the holiday break, and everyone was on a field trip. Because Aspen Creek was such a small town, with roughly 500 residents, the number of students at Aspen Creek School was equally small so taking them all on a field trip was easily accomplished. That, of course, meant the students ranged in age from five years to seventeen which meant they needed several chaperons to keep an eye on everyone. Juliana had formed a tight friendship with Kara, partly because they were the only two children who were also werewolves and partly because Kara was fun and easy to talk to.

The field trip took them to nearby Troy for a visit to a light display that covered several acres of land. It was one of those walk through displays and despite having several chaperons to try to keep everyone relatively together, the older kids ended up going their own way. They all knew what time the bus was leaving so it wasn't like anyone would get lost or left behind.

Juliana stuck close to Kara as they wandered looking at everything. She was in awe of the beauty around her. She'd never seen so many lights or so many wonderful displays. It was her awe that drew the attention of several older boys. It started out as whispers that both Juliana and Kara pretended not to hear. Juliana stopped at a display that was enclosed in glass. Battery operated Christmas carolers were singing 'O Holy Night' and she found herself mouthing the words.

"What's the matter, can't sing?" one of the boys said. "Oh, I get it, your people don't sing anything but rap so you can't figure out **how** to sing it," he added and the others snickered.

"Hey! Leave her alone," Kara said but she was ignored.

Juliana instantly went from a happy child in awe of what she saw to that scared, withdrawn girl Charles had found in the shack in the bayou three months ago.

"Aw, are you gonna cry? I thought all of your kind were thugs and gangstas," the boy said.

Another boy, a little older than Juliana, tried to come to her defense as well. "Does your mom know you like to pick on young girls just because they're different?" he asked. "Oh, wait, I know the answer to that and it's hell no. Maybe I should tell her."

"Keep out of this Cole, I know where you sleep," the older boy, who happened to be his brother, said. He turned back to Juliana. Her hair was in two pigtail braids and he tugged on one, hard. "I thought your people wore corn rows," he sneered.

Juliana jerked back from him. The boy was lucky, really. If she'd been a dominant wolf things could have gotten bad. But she wasn't. She was submissive and instead of going on the offensive and attacking, she bolted.

"Juliana!" Kara yelled. "You are so dead," she hissed at the boy and took off after her.

They all stood there staring. Both girls moved **a lot** faster than they should have been able to. It was Cole who figured it out first. "Oh shit. They're werewolves, Ronnie," he said then snickered. "You are in so much trouble," he added and took off towards the teacher who'd organized the trip in order to tell her Juliana ran off, and why.

********************A&O********************

Kara followed Juliana beyond the displays and into the nearby trees where she found her curled up inside some fallen trees where there was a small cave-like alcove. "Don't listen to him, Jules. Boys can be such jerks sometimes and it's worse when they're racist to boot."

"I don't belong here," Juliana whispered as if she'd not even heard what Kara had said. "I don't belong anywhere," she added mournfully.

********************A&O********************

Eden Nichols was dreading the call she had to make. When Cole Harper ran to her and quickly told her that his older brother was picking on Juliana and she ran off, Eden felt fear more than anger. Telling Charles Cornick that his adopted daughter ran away was **not** going to be easy. She decided that calling his wife would be a little better. At least, she hoped it would be.

********************A&O********************

When her phone rang Anna glanced at the number and frowned. She knew that Eden Nichols was the teacher who'd organized the field trip that her daughter was on. Maybe Juliana was nervous and wanted to hear Anna's voice. They really needed to get Jules her own cellphone. "Hello Eden, what's wrong?" she asked. "Is Juliana okay?"

"Hello Anna... Mrs. Cornick," Eden replied and swallowed loud enough that even Charles heard it. "There's... been an incident."

Anna froze and looked to Charles. She could see him vibrating with tension at those words. "What's happened? Where's Juliana?" she asked.

"One of the older boys was teasing her and she got upset and ran off," Eden said in a rush. "We told everyone to stay together but the older kids wandered off on their own and that's when it happened," she added quickly.

"We're on our way," Anna said before she hung up and followed Charles out to the truck. He was on edge and normally she would have insisted on driving as a result but one look at his face and she knew to not even try.

She clung to the door as he barreled around corners faster than she would have dared go in the middle of winter. "Getting into an accident won't get us there any faster," she said and was grateful when he slowed to a more reasonable speed. Anna stared out the window a moment before she pulled her phone out. "Do you think I should call Bran?" she asked.

"I think it would be a good idea. Da can talk to her, let her know we're on our way," Charles replied.

********************A&O********************

Bran was going over some personal finances when his phone rang. "Hello Anna, To what do I owe this call?" he asked.

"Bran, an older kid was picking on Jules while on the field trip to the lights and she ran off. We're on our way to Troy now to find her. Will you let her know we're on our way?" Anna said. She knew she sounded frantic but that was how she **felt**. Her little girl was scared, upset, and alone and she needed to get to her **now**.

Bran growled. "Of course I will let her know. Find out who it was, I will deal with him," he said and hung up. _'Juliana, Charles and Anna are on their way. You just stay where you are, they'll find you'._ The first time he'd spoken to her that way she'd been sitting next to him. He wished that was the case now. He remembered Kara was on the field trip as well and sent a message to her too. _'Kara, if you know where Juliana is, and I truly hope you do, I need you to meet Charles and Anna at the bus and take them to her.'_

********************A&O********************

Kara tried, unsuccessfully, to get Juliana to come out. She just stayed curled up inside the little alcove repeating 'I don't belong anywhere' over and over. Kara chewed on her bottom lip and tried to think of a solution but the only thing that came to mind was going to get Miss Nichols. Maybe she could help. "You do too belong here and I'll be back, I promise," Kara said and headed back the way they'd come. She was almost there when Bran's voice filtered through her head making her jump. She didn't know he could do that.

Kara headed straight for Miss Nichols who was reading Ronnie the riot act for his actions. "Miss Nichols," she said, trying to interrupt her tirade.

"Kara, I am handling it. I know she's your friend but I have this under control. Mr. and Mrs. Cornick are already on their way," Eden said and turned back to Ronnie. "I know your mother Ronnie, she raised you better than this. She's going to be so ashamed of you when she finds out."

Ronnie wasn't listening to her anymore. He'd gotten very pale and Kara could smell his fear, not that he knew it though. The only thing anyone ever called Bran Cornick was 'The Marrok' so 'Mr. Cornick' could only be his son, Charles. The man was scary.

Kara smiled with mock sweetness. "Told you you were so dead," she said just as Charles and Anna arrived.

********************A&O********************

Charles threw the truck in park and hopped out. He was close to losing control, his pup was upset enough to run off and he wanted to hurt someone.

Anna was trying to keep her mate calm but it was hard because **she** wasn't really calm herself and Asil had told her in order to calm others she had to feel it as well. She put a hand on his arm but even that didn't help.

Charles saw the group of boys in front of the teacher and headed right for them. "Which one of you was it?" he asked and he knew there was a growl in his voice but he didn't care. No one spoke and he almost snarled at them. "Which one of you thought it was perfectly okay to bully **my** daughter? Which one of you thought it would be fine to harass a **young girl**?" he asked. They all stared at him in fear.

Anna stepped forward. "Charles, you're scaring them," she said before she turned to them. "Have any of you ever been bullied, by anyone? Have any of you ever been abused by the people who are supposed to protect and love you?" she asked and got confused looks. "Of course not. Aspen Creek is such a tight-knit community and Bran wouldn't allow a child, any child, to be abused. Juliana has. For three years the people who were supposed to take care of her hurt her and made her feel worthless. They starved her because they didn't think she deserved to go to bed with a full belly." As she spoke she noticed the other boys shifting away from one who was looking more and more guilty by the minute. "Are you proud of yourself now? You verbally attacked a little girl who was abused for three years. And by the way, you're very lucky Juliana is submissive. She's a werewolf and if she'd been dominant I can assure you that **you** would be hurting, physically, because she would have laid into you. Werewolves, even young ones like her and Kara, are stronger than humans. Remember that the next time you decide to be an idiot and bully someone just because they're different." With that she turned to Eden. "Where's Jules? Do you have any idea?"

Eden was a bit stunned. Ronnie had all but dismissed everything she'd said but he looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole after what Anna said to him."I'm sorry Anna, Mrs. Cornick, I'm not sure where she went. I swear if I'd known it was happening I would have put a stop to it immediately." She kept glancing at Charles. He was usually very hard to read but not right now. Right now he looked like he was ready to go on a rampage.

"You would know if you hadn't dismissed me," Kara said with a huff of annoyance.

"You know where Jules is?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, I followed her when she ran off. Come on," Kara replied and headed for the trees. 'Please let her still be there' she prayed silently.

********************A&O********************

Juliana curled up into a ball. She didn't fit in there, there was no one else like her, and she felt even more alone than she'd felt in New Orleans. Her sobs had quieted to silent tears and sniffles but she still didn't hear their approach until she heard Kara say "She's in there". Part of her hadn't believed anyone was really coming for her.

Anna could hear her sniffles but it was the **pain** coming from her daughter that hurt her heart. There was no way Charles was getting in the small alcove in human form so she crawled into it herself. "Jules, baby, it's okay, we're here," she said softly.

Charles wasn't letting something like his size stop him from getting to his pup. He shifted and went in after his mate.

Juliana felt herself being pulled into Anna's arms then felt the nuzzle of a wolf and knew Charles was there too. She sobbed at the comfort she felt then. "Why did he say those mean things to me mama?" she whispered. "I didn't think you and papa were coming. I thought... no one wants me. I don't belong anywhere."

Anna hugged her tightly. "Yes you do baby, you belong right here with us." Her heart soared at being called mama, even if it **had** taken something like this to solidify that connection, and she could feel her mate's joy as well. She had a sneaky suspicion Juliana felt like she didn't belong anywhere because she knew next to nothing about her heritage. They needed to change that as soon as they could. "Sometimes people say mean things without even thinking about the damage their words can cause to the one they're talking to, sweetie. I don't know why they do it, but I know it won't happen again," she added.

Juliana clung to Anna and when Charles moved closer she buried her face in his fur. They smelled of home, love, and safety and she felt soothed.

"Let's go home. Those boys won't bother you again, I promise," Anna said and managed to crawl out without letting her daughter go.

Charles could have shifted back to human but he decided to give the boy who hurt his pup a visual of what he was messing with.

"Can I ride back with you guys?" Kara asked. "I don't think being on that bus with him would be a good idea," she added. She thought that was the worst that could happen that day; Juliana getting bullied. She had no idea how bad it was going to get later that afternoon when she and her temporary guardian, Aria, decided to go for a much needed run.

"Of course you can Kara. Thank you for following Jules when she ran off. Charles could have tracked her by her scent but it would have taken longer to find her," Anna replied.

"I wanted to tear into him for it but... I wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt, even more," Kara admitted.

"That's what it means to be dominant, Kara. A dominant werewolf feels the need to protect those less dominant than them and that urge is strongest with submissives and Omegas." They got back to the group and Anna waited for Kara to get both her bag and Juliana's from the bus. She glanced at Ronnie Harper and almost laughed at the wide-eyed stare he gave her mate. Charles was large even as a wolf and when he bared his teeth, as he did now, he could definitely be scary.

********************A&O********************

They dropped Kara off at Aria's and went home, where they made **sure** Juliana knew she belonged there. Anna had called Bran on the way home to let him know Jules was safe so he wouldn't worry. They'd only just settled in when Bran called Charles away and then, soon after, Kara called her on the phone. Anna had debated on taking Juliana with her to sit with Kara but she'd been through enough stress so instead she dropped Jules off with Sage and promised to pick her up once everything was settled and Aria was back. It seemed fate had decided they all needed some shaking up. Here was hoping this was all fate was up to because she didn't want to have to kill someone else to keep her family safe, like she'd had to do with the black witch, Mariposa. Once was enough, thanks.


	4. Chapter Four

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

It was the day after the field trip and Anna could tell her daughter was still very upset. She wanted to throttle the boy who'd bullied her but that wouldn't be very productive and while it would make **her** feel better it wouldn't help Juliana. They still didn't know **what** he'd said to her, other than 'mean things' and she realized she needed to know so she could help her to work through it. "Jules, sweetie, do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?" she asked gently.

Juliana looked up from where she was curled on the sofa and sniffled. She nodded and it all came pouring out. When Anna's arms wrapped around her Juliana clung to her. "I can too sing it," she said once her crying stopped.

She sang a little bit of the song and Anna smiled. "Yes you can baby," she said and kissed the top of her head. An idea came to mind and she grinned a little. "I have the perfect idea to put that meanie-head in his place," Anna said and when Juliana giggled at the 'meanie-head' part Anna tickled her.

"How mama?" Juliana asked once she stopped laughing from the tickling.

"There is a concert Christmas Eve that lots of people will be singing or playing music in. What do you say you sing it while papa plays his guitar for background music?"

Juliana chewed on her lip in thought before she grinned and nodded. "Yeah!" she said.

Charles, who'd been listening to their conversation from his study, chuckled a little her excitement. Putting the bully in his place would go a long way in making her feel better. He heard a snowmobile pulling up outside, frowned because if it was his Da he'd come in the Humvee, and went to investigate.

********************A&O********************

By the time they'd gotten home from the field trip Elise Harper was already aware of the situation and she made sure her son knew she was angry with him for bullying another child. Her husband was away on business and if he'd been there he'd have been furious. Cole knew Ronnie was going to give him a hard time for 'ratting' him out but he was okay with that. His brother wasn't one of those types who actually hurt their younger siblings, he'd just make Cole's life difficult for a while. What Ronnie did to Juliana was wrong so he was fine with a bit of difficulty if it meant standing up for others.

The next morning he watched as his mother started working on the pies she'd be heating for their Christmas dinner in a few days. She always made them ahead and put them in the freezer. She said it made it easier to fix dinner if she all she had to do was throw them in the oven to warm up while they ate their meal. Sitting there he wondered how Juliana was doing. "Going out for a bit mom," he said and went to get his coat. He wasn't old enough to drive a car but they had a couple of ATV's and snowmobiles he could drive. The snow was too thick for the ATV to be safe so he got one of the snowmobiles out instead.

He pulled up in front of the Cornick's home and was suddenly nervous. Charles Cornick was a scary man, he scared the crap out of pretty much everyone, but... When Charles stepped out onto the porch Cole swallowed. "Hi, Mr. Cornick. I wanted to come by and see how Juliana was."

Charles stared down at the boy. The fact the kid locked eyes with him for a minute, despite the fact Charles could smell the boy's discomfort from the porch, impressed him.

Anna came out onto the porch and swatted her husband's arm. "Alright papa wolf, stop scaring the boy," she said and smiled at the kid. "It's cold out here, would you like to come in for some cocoa?"

"Thanks, uh, yeah, that sounds good. I'm Cole, Cole Harper. I don't know if you know that or not."

Juliana came out around behind Anna as he came up the steps. "You stood up to your brother for me," she said.

"Well, yeah, he was being a jerk and mom is pissed at him for what he did," Cole replied.

Anna ushered them inside and leaned up to kiss her husband's chin. "Be nice," she said and went to get Cole a cup of hot cocoa. Then she left the kids be. Juliana wasn't upset around him so it was okay.

"Ronnie was just trying to impress his friends," he said after a minute. "Just don't let him make you feel bad. Cuz he's an idiot," he added with a grin. "I think your hair is pretty." Yeah, he thought she was cute, but he wasn't thinking 'dating'. At thirteen he hadn't gotten into that stage yet.

Juliana's hair hung loose down her back. "Thank you," she said. She tilted her head at him. "How come you're not scared of me?" she asked.

"You mean because you're a werewolf?" he asked and when she nodded he shrugged. "Because you didn't attack Ronnie when he hurt you, why should I be scared you'd hurt me? I dunno, I'm just not scared. Maybe if I wasn't from here I might be but I can't say for sure on that. Besides, I think it's pretty cool. I mean, I know it's... er... not fun when it happens, and I dunno how come you're one so young, we're not allowed to try until we're adults, but I still think it's pretty cool."

Juliana looked down at her hands and hunched up a bit. "A bad man attacked me and papa saved me," she said quietly.

Cole didn't even think about it. He went to her and gave her a one-armed hug. "Oh man, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you," he said.

Anna watched them. She'd sent Charles downstairs to his weight room so he wouldn't be so overly protective and let their daughter enjoy having a non-werewolf friend over. Cole's reaction was pure dominant. She was a submissive who was upset and he wanted to make it better. If he was a werewolf he'd be among the dominant males.

Juliana was startled by the hug but leaned into it and looked up at him. "S'okay," she said then grinned. "Mama gave me a really good way to get back at Ronnie for being so mean."

Cole gave her a curious look. "How?"

"I'm gonna sing O Holy Night at the concert," she said and sang a few lines so he knew she could do it.

Cole grinned. "He's so gonna be teased by his friends. I love it."

Anna invited him to stay for lunch, he called his mother to let her know, and when he finally headed home it was almost dinner time.

"I like him mama," Juliana said. It was the start of a friendship that would last a lifetime.

********************A&O********************

Christmas Eve arrived and Anna helped her daughter dress for the concert. Juliana had chosen a velvet dress in dark green and they pulled her hair back from her face with a hair clip that had a velvet green bow attached to it. They sat near the front and listened to several performances before it was her turn.

"Now Miss Juliana Lawson is going to sing something for us."

Charles escorted his daughter onto the stage. She was nervous, looking out at all those people, but he felt her straighten up, shoulders squaring, before she nodded at him.

Cole sat next to his parents with a shit-eating grin on his face. Ronnie gave him a dark look and he ignored him. This was going to be fun.

Charles started playing softly and for a moment it seemed like she wasn't going to sing. Then the words flowed from her and all eyes were on her. Juliana didn't have the power to belt it out so she went the other way with it. She made it sweet, moving, emotional. She gave a reverence to the idea **behind** the song. When the last note faded there was a hushed silence before "Yeah Juliana!" was heard and thundering applause erupted.

When Juliana sat back down she was beaming. She'd done it She'd really gotten up there in front of all those people and sang. She felt so giddy she giggled. That night, when she crawled into bed, she said a prayer to her mama and papa in heaven and thanked them for sending her new mama and papa to her. She firmly believed they had a hand in it.

********************A&O********************

She woke Christmas morning filled with excitement. She wasn't expecting much, really, but just knowing she was loved made her bounce down the hall to the living room where the tree was. Juliana stopped and stared. When she'd gone to bed the night before there wasn't a single present under it. Now there were so many that she couldn't see the tree skirt she'd helped put around it, and it wasn't a small tree skirt.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie," Anna said. She and Charles had worked furiously to get everything under the tree after Juliana went to bed the night before. Then Anna got up early to fix breakfast and get Christmas dinner started.

"Merry Christmas, mama," Juliana said and went to hug her. Touch always made her feel better whether she was scared, upset, or just overwhelmed like now.

Anna rubbed her daughter's back. "How about some breakfast and then you get to open presents," she said.

"Okay mama," she replied. She didn't expect most of them to be hers, she figured they were for everyone, like Grandpa and Auntie Sage. She ate, trying to keep from scarfing it down, but she was so curious about all the presents that she ate faster than usual. Anna wanted to laugh, it was so adorable.

"Alright kiddo, we can open presents now," she said and did laugh when Juliana squeaked and jumped up from the table. She shared a look with her mate. To see such open joy on Juliana's face when only a few months ago getting even a small smile from her was difficult, made Anna's heart swell and she wanted to cheer.

Once everything was opened, paper scattered everywhere because where was the fun in opening presents if you had to clean as you go, Juliana sat there staring at the pile of things that were all hers. She was stunned that they thought she deserved so much.

"I felt like that too, the first Christmas I was here," Anna said. She went to her daughter and hugged her. "Your papa loves to spoil those he loves. It took me some time to get used to it too. We have one more present for you but you have to put your coat and boots on because it's outside." This was the one gift they'd spent the most time deciding on and Charles had to go out of town to get it. He'd gone all the way to Scottsdale, Arizona for it, as a matter of fact. Hosteen Sani, full-blooded Navajo, and Alpha of the Salt River Pack, lived in Scottsdale. His job, besides running a werewolf pack, was breeding Arabian horses.

Juliana was puzzled but she got her coat and boots on and followed them outside. They walked the short distance to the small stable they had and inside.

"What's going on, papa?" she asked, confused. She was holding onto his hand as they entered the stable. When she saw the bow on one of the stall doors she went to it. 'To Juliana, Love Mama and Papa' the tag read and then she saw the young horse standing in the stall. It was beautiful. It's coat was a soft silvery black and when the horse whinnied at her, her face lit up.

"He isn't quite broken in yet, so you'll have to help me get him ready for riding," Charles said. When Juliana threw herself at him he caught her up and hugged her. The first time she'd seen the horses she'd had such a look of longing in her eyes that he knew he had to get her a horse of her own.

Bran came by for Christmas dinner, and more presents were opened, then Sage stopped by with some as well. When Juliana crawled into bed that night it was the happiest she'd been in a long time. Not because 'Oh I got lots of presents' but because 'Oh, I have people who love me'.

********************A&O********************

The days flew by, winter faded, and summer came upon them. By then Juliana was officially a Cornick. Her adoption was finalized months ago, and watching her ride her horse, Silver Whispers, you would never know she'd once been a scared, withdrawn little girl. She was still small, despite the fact it was her thirteenth birthday, but she'd blossomed into a happy, free young girl.

"You ready for the nightmare of the teen years?" Sage joked. They'd had a big birthday party for Juliana and now she, Kara, and Cole were going horseback riding. "Cole's become quite the friend, hasn't he?" she added.

"Yeah, he has. The three of them are like the three musketeers. Jules told me that if it even looks like someone is going to say something to upset her he's all over them for it. I swear if someone actually hurt her they wouldn't have to worry about me or Charles, Cole would beat us to it." He was a year older than Juliana and he was already sprouting up. He was going to be tall, like his father, and given the already widening shoulders, he was going to be stocky to boot.

"Almost sounds like it's more than just friendship," Sage said thoughtfully.

Anna shrugged. "They're young. Kids always go through that," she said. "He's a good kid."

Truth was, Cole really liked Juliana. They were best friends though, and she was a year younger than him, and he didn't think she liked him like that, and that was okay. He wouldn't want to mess up being friends with her over him **liking** her.

The three of them rode away from the house and out into the nearby foothills. They kept the horses at a walk, no need to run, and besides that made it harder to talk. The sun was warm and their laughter floated on the air. They were a couple miles from the house and headed back down a different path from the one they'd taken to the ridge when Juliana's horse suddenly started prancing like it was scared. Neither she nor Kara could smell anything that could be causing it, not realizing that meant they were upwind of the threat, and she tried to soothe the horse.

"Jules!" She heard Cole shout at the same time she heard a growl. Werewolves were fast but she was too shocked to react. It was Cole, not Kara, who got there first. He kicked his horse to get it moving and got between Juliana and the mountain lion just as it pounced. Juliana screamed and the sound echoed.

********************A&O********************

"That was Jules!" Anna said when she heard the distant scream and terror for her daughter filled her.

Charles was off in an instant, shifting as he ran. His pup was in danger, why had he let them go out by themselves?

********************A&O********************

Kara recovered from her own shock and threw herself onto the mountain lion where it was attacking Cole. She felt claws rake her side, it hurt so much, but she used the strength all werewolves had to hurt the big cat enough to make it run.

Juliana dropped down to Cole's side. He was hurt, bad. She could tell just from looking at him. "Don't die, please don't die," she cried. Both her friends were hurt and she'd done nothing, she'd been too scared to. "Please, please, please don't die," and when she saw the red wolf headed towards them she almost cried in relief. "Papa!"

Charles slid to a stop next to his daughter and shifted. "Are you hurt?" he asked and when she shook her head he turned his attention to Cole and Kara. Kara was already healing, she'd be okay in a couple of hours, but Cole was human. "Jules, I need you to ride back to the house. Your mama will be on her way by now, but we need to get the bleeding stopped before we can move him. Tell her we need the medical kit. Go," he said firmly.

Juliana went. She rode as hard and as fast as she could while tears streaked her cheeks. If Cole died it was all her fault.

********************A&O********************

Anna hated that she'd had to take the time to saddle her horse before she was able to go after her mate. She met her daughter not far from the house.

"Mama! We need the medical kit. Cole's hurt, really badly, and Kara too." She knew Kara would be okay, but would Cole?

There was a flurry of activity. Bran, Aria, and Sage were saddling horses as well and as soon as Anna had the medical kit they followed Juliana back the way she'd come.

********************A&O********************

"Hang in there Cole," Charles said as he tore strips from his own shirt to use as bandages to try and slow the bleeding until the others got there.

"Jules?" Cole whispered, pain evident in his voice.

"She's okay, she went to get help," Charles replied. He could hear the distant thunder of horses hooves but they were still too far away for Cole's human hearing to pick up.

Kara held a part of Charles' ruined shirt to the long claw marks in her side. "He saved Jules from being attacked," she growled. "Mountain lion, we must have startled it. Didn't smell it because we were upwind of it. He saw it first and reacted before I could."

Charles looked over at the girl. "Shift Kara. You'll heal faster if you do." He pushed authority into it, made it more of a command than a suggestion. He wasn't her Alpha but he was pack second and far more dominant than her. Her wolf listened to the command in his voice.

The others arrived and while Aria helped the injured Kara to finish shifting they got Cole's bleeding stopped the best they could and got him back to the house then to the clinic. Anna called Elise while on the way to the clinic to tell her about the accident and then they all waited while Cole was taken away.

********************A&O********************

Hours later pain glazed eyes opened to find it dark outside and Juliana curled up in the chair closest to his bed. "Jules?" Cole's voice croaked out of a dry throat and he swallowed, trying to ease the dryness.

Juliana's eyes snapped opened at his voice. "You're awake." Relief flooded her. "I was so scared you were gonna die, Cole."

He gave her a weak smile. "Me too. Can... I have some water?"

"Oh! Yeah, of course," she said and scrambled out of the chair to pour him a glass of water and help him with it. "Your mama just left a few minutes ago to get something to eat. She'll be right back," she told him.

He sipped the water and his throat didn't feel like the Sahara Desert anymore. "Thanks. You're okay, right? It.. it didn't get you?"

Juliana shook her head. "No, it didn't get me." Then she got angry. "What were you thinking?! I'm a werewolf, even if it did get me I wouldn't have died but you could have!" she said and tears spilled down her cheeks. "And it would have been all my fault."

"Don't cry. Please, Jules, don't cry. I didn't die. I dunno, I didn't think about that, I just.. you were in danger," he said lamely. 'Yeah, right. I'm such an idiot' he thought bitterly. She made sure to remind him he was just a dumb human. Oh, he knew she didn't mean it that way, Jules didn't have a mean bone in her body, but it was the truth. He was a dumb human who forgot werewolves were tougher. Trouble was, he didn't see her as 'Juliana, the werewolf'. He saw her as 'Juliana, my friend' and he'd just reacted.

Juliana wanted to hug him but since she couldn't she settled for leaning over and kissing his cheek. "Thank you," she said softly. "I'm sorry I got mad. You scared me. I though you were gonna die."

Cole blushed at the kiss. "Yeah, well, I guess I'm tougher than I look," he joked. Juliana giggled and he thought maybe it was worth it, getting cut up by a stupid mountain lion, to hear that sound.

"Oh thank god you're awake," Elise said when she came back into the room to find her son's eyes open. "You scared me half to death, Cole Harper."

"Sorry mom," he mumbled. "Didn't mean to."

She leaned over and kissed her son's forehead and felt the tremble in his body. "I'll get the nurse to give you something for pain," she said and left to do that.

"Stay, til it knocks me out?" Cole asked.

"Okay," Juliana replied and shyly held his hand. She knew her parents were in the cafeteria waiting for her until she was ready to go home. The nurse came in, put something in his I.V., and Juliana watched as his eyes slowly closed. He was going to be okay. He'd have nasty scars from the attack but he was alive. When she went home that night she thanked the spirits for watching over him then crawled into her bed where she cried her relief into her pillow and fell into an exhausted sleep.


	5. Chapter Five

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Cole healed from the attack that could have killed him. He would always have a reminder of it in the form of scars across his chest. But he was alive. They were all more careful when they went horseback riding after that.

There was a time in her life, after she survived Justin's attack, that Anna ignored the passage of time. Each day was just like the rest, a living nightmare, so they seemed to be endless. Now that she was happy she looked forward to the changing of the seasons and celebrating holidays with her family.

Watching her daughter, head bent over the drawing table they'd gotten her for her last birthday, Anna was stunned by how much time had passed since Juliana had come into their lives. She'd be fifteen in a few months. Juliana had blossomed into a happy, talented, compassionate young woman. Oh, sure, she was still a teenager, but she was no longer a child and the change in her, when Anna thought back to those first months, was remarkable. You would never know Juliana had suffered such abuse at the hands of her former foster parents.

Six months after Juliana came to live with them they'd discovered her interest in architectural design. Cyrus saw some of her drawings and was impressed. He said she had a lot of raw talent and worked with her to help her perfect it. Since he'd gone to college for that very thing himself, and was working alongside his father at Stavros Building and Design until his forced change, he knew what he was doing. Juliana was seriously considering going into architecture after high school.

Juliana brought another change with her as well. Due to the abuse at the hands of the Chicago Pack, Anna had had a very poor opinion of submissive wolves. She knew some packs considered them the heart of the pack, but she'd been trained to believe they were worthless. Her daughter changed that view completely. Watching Juliana with some of their pack members, even the older, less stable ones, Anna saw what others saw in submissive wolves. Their calm helped dominant wolves to find balance.

Anna carried a plate with a few sandwiches on it over to the drawing table and set it within easy reach of her daughter. She glanced at what Juliana was working on and arched a brow. It wasn't a bit of architecture. It was a formal dress. "That's very pretty honey," she said.

"Thanks mama. I'm thinking of making it for homecoming." She didn't say it out loud but she was hoping Cole asked her to the dance.

"Well, I'm not much of a seamstress myself but Aria is so I'm sure if you need help she'll gladly help you." That was another positive change in their lives and their pack. Aria. She'd fled her pack in London because she was afraid she'd end up killing the wolf who'd challenged her old mate over thirty years ago and won which lead to her mate's death. The wolf had become obsessed with her and she knew killing him would be a death sentence for her. She'd come there seeking refuge and it seemed that fate had a hand in her arrival because that very day their Alpha, Bran, the Marrok, Alpha of all Alphas and ruler of all the werewolves in North America, lost his own mate to a freak car accident. Bran's beast wasn't as controlled as it was before a two hundred year old black witch came to their area and used magic to suppress his human half. Things could have gotten dangerous, nay deadly, for every wolf tied to him, but Aria brought him a peace he'd not had since the death of his first mate, Blue Jay Woman. Aria calmed his berserker. She also brought her passion for others to the pack and where Leah only paid attention to the pack when she wanted to be a controlling bitch and remind everyone they were 'beneath' her, Aria was always there when someone was in need. She helped the newer wolves to learn control with a dominance that matched Bran's and the gentleness of a submissive wolf. She was the perfect mate for their Alpha.

Juliana munched on her sandwiches and glanced at the clock. "Gotta go mama," she said and hopped up. Cole was on the football team and Juliana always went to watch practice. Okay, she was really going to watch Cole, but still. Anna laughed softly and watched her daughter go.

********************A&O********************

Juliana climbed the bleachers, sitting several rows back, and watched practice. Cole was their best wide receiver and he saw a lot of field time. She'd brought her sandwiches and a bottle of water with her and finished eating while she watched. It was still nice enough out that she'd decided to walk instead of taking the four-wheeler she'd been given for Christmas. The sun was warm but not too warm and she relaxed into the comfortable heat.

When practice was over, Juliana put her water bottle in her bag, slung it over her shoulder and across her chest, and started down the bleachers to the ground. She was three rows away from the ground when the smile on her face was wiped away. Kelly Matthews, blonde, blue-eyed, curvy in all the right places, and co-captain of the cheerleaders, walked up to Cole, put her arms around him, and kissed him. And he kissed her back. Juliana stood there frozen for a moment and then she bolted.

Cole heard the clatter of feet on the bleachers and swore softly. He'd forgotten to tell Jules that he and Kelly were dating but he didn't understand why that made her take off like she did. Her reaction seemed a bit overboard and it confused him. "Jules!" He pulled away from Kelly as if he was going to go after Juliana but he knew there was no way he could catch up to her. He was fast but not werewolf fast. "Shit, shit, shit," he said under his breath.

"What's her problem?" Kelly said. Then she shrugged a little. "Well, whatever it is, she'll get over it," she added. She looked up at Cole and sweet talked him into forgetting about his worry over Juliana's reaction and got him to take her into Troy for pizza with the rest of the team and cheer-leading squad.

********************A&O********************

Juliana heard him yell her name but she ignored him. She ran away from town, up into the surrounding mountains until her legs burned and her chest ached. Then she stopped and screamed her heartbreak into the sky. How could he do that? How could he shatter her heart as if it didn't matter, as if **she** didn't matter? She found a spot she could curl up in, hidden from view in the hollow of a tree, and cried until the sun was sinking low on the horizon. She'd turned off her cellphone because she was afraid he'd try calling her and she couldn't talk to him right now.

Staring at the fading light she knew if she didn't go home soon her parents would start to worry. She didn't want them worrying about her just because she'd been such a fool. She wiped her eyes, brushed herself off, and slowly made her way home.

It was almost dark when she stepped onto the porch. The door opened and her mother's familiar scent floated to her on the air. She wanted to crawl into her mama's lap and cling to her like a child, but she wasn't a little girl anymore.

"Juliana Tallulah Cornick, where have you been? You've had us worried sick! I got a call from Miss Nichols, she was at the school and saw you running off. She said you looked very upset, and as soon as your papa heard that he went out looking for you." As soon as Juliana stepped into the light coming from the open door Anna knew she'd been crying. Everything else disappeared immediately, her fear and frustration over her daughter taking off and not having her phone on. She didn't ask what was wrong, she just reached out and pulled Juliana into her arms. She held her tight and moved them to the sofa. She felt, more than heard, her daughter's soft crying and her arms tightened just a little more. When Juliana stopped shaking Anna went to get her a cup of cocoa and called Bran, so he could contact Charles for her. "Bran, Jules is home, I don't know what happened, I just know she's upset, but can you please let Charles know she's back safe and sound?" When Bran assured her he would she hung up and took the cocoa out to her daughter. "Jules, sweetie, what happened?" she asked softly.

Juliana sipped the cocoa and closed her eyes for several minutes. Then she looked up at her mother and shook her head. "It doesn't matter mama," she replied quietly. All the times she'd felt insecure, ugly, because of her mixed race, and he'd told her to stop because she was pretty, it was just talk. Just something you say to make a friend feel better because they're your friend, not because you mean it. "I'm tired mama, I'm gonna go to my room," she added and set the half full cup of cocoa on the coffee table.

Anna watched her daughter go. She always tried to keep her abilities in check when talking with Juliana. She never wanted her daughter to feel compelled to talk to her. She knew when Jules was ready to talk about whatever it was, she would. "I'll put your dinner in the fridge, all you have to do is heat it up when you want it," she said.

Anna felt her mate's relief even before he came in the front door. Their bond was like that, they often felt what the other was feeling, especially when they were near each other.

"Where's Jules?" Charles asked, worry evident in his voice.

"She's in her room. Whatever happened, she's not ready to talk about it. At least not to me," Anna replied. She went to him and wrapped her arms around him. "We can't push her to tell us why she ran off," she added because she knew her mate, his urge was to pressure her about it so he could punish whoever hurt his pup.

"I never thought being a parent could be this stressful," Charles growled. "I'm just going to look in on her," he added and let Anna go. He went to Juliana's door and knocked. "Can I come in, little one?" he asked. He didn't call her that as often as he used to because she was getting older but tonight he felt that protective of her.

"I guess so," Juliana said quietly.

Charles went in and sat on the bed. He wasn't surprised when Juliana sat up and curled against him. He pulled her into his arms and cuddled her. "Whatever it is, whenever you're ready, you know you can talk to me or your mama, don't you?" he asked.

"I know papa," she said softly.

"Do you want Kara to come over?" he asked. "I know you're growing up and there are things a girl doesn't want to talk to her parents about, but they'll talk to their best friend," he added at the look on her face.

Juliana thought about it then nodded.

Charles kissed her forehead. "Alright, I'll go pick her up."

Anna heard him and called the Beckworths. She briefly explained something had happened that had Juliana very upset and she and Charles both felt it would help if Kara was there. She implied it was werewolf related and they agreed Kara should certainly be there to help, she could even stay the night even though it was a school night. "Thank you, Mr. Beckworth," Anna said and hung up. At the smirk Charles gave her she laughed a little. "He might have been reluctant if he thought it was just teenager stuff. Besides it **is** wolf related since she's a werewolf."

"I didn't say a thing," Charles said and headed for the door.

********************A&O********************

As soon as her dad told her about Anna's call Kara packed a bag and made sure she had all her school stuff in her backpack. What could have happened that Anna and Charles felt Kara's presence would be helpful? Did something happen at football practice? If so, why wasn't Cole there filling them in? She sometimes went to watch with Jules but she had a research paper due and had to finish it and wasn't able to be there. Now she wished she had been. When Charles got there she grabbed her stuff and headed out to the truck. "Hi Mr. Cornick," she said as she got in.

"Hello Kara. I hope you're able to get Jules to open up, I don't like seeing her upset," he said and there was a growl in his voice.

"I don't like it either," Kara said. She was fiercely protective of her friend.

As soon as they got to the house Kara went to Juliana's room, knocked on the door, then went inside. She set her stuff down then crawled onto the bed to be eye to eye with Jules. "Hey," she said.

"Hey." Juliana wouldn't meet her eyes for a moment. "Cole's dating Kelly Matthews," she said suddenly.

Kara frowned. "No way, that can't be right. Why do you say they're dating?"

"Because when practice was over she was pawing at him while playing tonsil hockey with him," Juliana said and there were fresh tears in her eyes.

Kara wanted to strangle Cole. What was wrong with him? How could he not know Jules was crazy about him?

"It makes perfect sense," Juliana said even as the tears spilled down her cheeks. "She's blonde, curvy, and pretty, everything I'm not. And she's human. Why would he want some ugly mix breed wolf when he can have someone like her?" she said and started crying quietly.

Kara hugged her. "Jules, you're gorgeous. Stop thinking you're not. There are guys at school who would go out with you in a hot minute if you gave them the chance. If Cole wants to be such a jerk then screw him. It means he's not good enough for you."

"You're just saying that because you're my best friend, but thanks," Jules said softly. She wiped her eyes and sighed. She still felt like her heart was breaking but she didn't feel like she couldn't stop crying anymore.

"No, I'm saying it because it's true," Kara countered. "But I know, you're hurt so its okay that you think I'm just saying it out of loyalty," she added and hugged her again.

They talked a bit and when Anna brought a tray of goodies in for them they munched away then went to bed. Juliana decided that she needed to avoid Cole and Kelly as much as possible until she could handle seeing them together without losing it. The hardest part would be sitting together at lunch, like they always did, and having to watch Kelly pawing at him. But how bad could it be? She wasn't sure she had an answer for that.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was very careful during the first half of the school day so she managed to avoid seeing Cole and Kelly together. Her locker and Cole's were side by side and usually she went to it first thing and got the books for her first two classes then switched out for the next two leading up to lunch. But not today. Today she managed to get there early and took all four books she would need so she didn't have to go back until after lunch. She'd managed to not see them a single time, so far.

Lunch rolled around and Juliana felt panicked. Despite being on the football team Cole always ate lunch with her and Kara. He always said that just because he was a football player didn't mean he was a jock. If they had an issue with him eating with his friends, they could fuck off. He always got to the cafeteria first and they always sat at the same table. Juliana panted and tried to brace herself for the sight of Kelly at **their** table. She stepped into the cafeteria and froze. What she saw was worse, so much worse. Their usual table was empty. Her gaze shifted to the 'jock table' as the three of them had always called it, even though the football team and cheerleaders both sat at it, and she started to shake, just a little. Cole, who'd never sat at the jock table, who'd said he would never sit there with them, was seated with the rest of the team and the cheerleaders with Kelly cuddled up to his side. "I can't, I can't..." She panted, turned around, and left quickly. She didn't run but she wanted to. She would eat outside. As long as she didn't leave school grounds she wouldn't get in trouble.

Kara watched her go before her eyes narrowed and a soft growl escaped her. She stalked over to the jock table and stopped next to Cole. "Looks like we were wrong. Ronnie isn't the only bastard in the Harper family, after all," she hissed as soon as Cole looked up at her.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kelly said. When Kara turned her gaze on her she paled because Kara's dark brown eyes were amber gold.

"Fuck off, bitch," she said before she looked at Cole. "Hope you're happy with your blonde bimbo, asshole," she said and left.

Cole pulled away from Kelly and went after Kara. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he asked as soon as he was in the hall.

Kara turned and looked at him. "If you're too stupid to figure it out Cole, I'm not going to explain it to you. Go back to your little human bitch," she said and she made human sound like an insult. He'd ripped her best friend's heart out, she didn't give a damn if he got offended. "All that talk about how you weren't like the jocks, it was just talk. You're **exactly** like them." She shook her head and walked off. Somehow she knew he wouldn't follow her.

Kara found Juliana sitting under one of the huge trees that littered the school grounds. She didn't say anything, she just sat and ate her lunch.

"I thought... he'd be sitting at our table with her, that I'd have to fake a smile just to be polite, but... I never thought he'd eat with them. He always said they were jerks, why was he sitting with them?" Jules asked.

"Because he's a teenage boy and he's thinking with the wrong head," Kara replied.

Juliana blinked and laughed a little, even though it was strained.

"At least I got you to smile," Kara said with a cheeky grin. "Don't let him tear you down Jules. I know how you feel about Cole but you can't let that tear you down."

"I feel like my heart has shattered into a million tiny pieces and they'll never be put back together right," Juliana said softly.

"I know Jules, I know," Kara replied. "But you'll get through this. He's being an idiot right now, that's all," she added.

They sat outside until the end of lunch and Juliana once again managed to avoid running into Cole. As soon as school was over she headed home. No more watching practice, she didn't want to see him and Kelly together again.

********************A&O********************

Cole glanced at the bleachers when they headed onto the field for practice. Jules was always there to support him, but not today. He frowned but he had to focus on practice, they had a game on Friday and Homecoming was two weeks away. He was confused by how badly this was obviously affecting Juliana. He just couldn't figure out why she would be so adversely affected by him dating someone. It made no sense.

Practice dragged out for what seemed like forever but finally it was over. "I'll catch up with you guys later or tomorrow, there's something I gotta do," he said as soon as practice was over.

Kelly heard him and pouted. "You're not going to come with us to go get pizza over in Troy?" she asked.

"I can't today. I'll see you tomorrow though," Cole replied. He kissed her and went to his car. He'd had the car for only a few days and he was already happy about not having to walk everywhere all the time.

********************A&O********************

The minute the last bell rang Juliana grabbed her backpack, went to her locker to get the books she needed to do her homework, and went home. She just couldn't sit through practice knowing she'd have to see Cole and Kelly kissing once it was over. She wasn't sure she could ever see him again without feeling like she was dying inside. "Hi mama, I'm home," she called as she closed the door behind her.

"Jules? You're home early. Was practice canceled today?" Anna asked.

"No, I just... didn't feel like going today," Juliana replied.

Anna gave her daughter a look. "Did you and Cole have a fight?" she asked. Juliana never missed his practice.

"No, we didn't have a fight," she replied. If she was careful she wouldn't have to lie. She didn't want to lie to her mother, not ever, and not because Anna would smell it.

"You never miss football practice. Jules, honey, I wish you would talk to me but I'm not going to pry." Anna hugged her and kissed her forehead. "I love you sweetie and I know it's tough being a teenager. When you add in being a werewolf, it's a doozy. I'm here if you want to talk."

"I know mama. I'm gonna go get started on my homework," Juliana replied.

Anna watched her go and shook her head. Was she this difficult when she was a teenager? God, she hoped not. If so she needed to apologize to her father.

Two hours later Anna heard a vehicle pulling into their driveway. It was unfamiliar and that made her frown om the way to the front door to see who it was. She was a little surprised to see Cole getting out of the driver's side door. "Driving already?" she asked.

"Hi Mrs. Cornick. Yeah, I got it a couple of days ago. It makes getting around so much easier. Is Jules here?" he asked.

"Yes, she's in her room. Maybe you can figure out why she's in such a funk," Anna replied.

"I'll sure try, Mrs. Cornick," Cole said. He went down the hall and knocked on the bedroom door. "Jules? Can I come in?"

********************A&O********************

She'd finished with her homework but Juliana didn't feel like doing anything else so she sat on her bed, headphones on, and listened to music. Even with the music in her ears Juliana heard the knock and his voice. It would serve him right if she just ignored him. But... she didn't. "Yeah, you can come in Cole," she finally said. She'd pulled her knees against her chest and hugged her legs, chin propped on her knees.

Cole stepped into the room, closed the door, and moved to sit on the end of her bed. He frowned a little at the way she was sitting, like she was afraid of him or something. "Missed you at practice today," he said after a moment.

Juliana made a noise that sounded a bit like a snort. "Yeah, right. You're too wrapped up in Kelly Matthews for that."

"I'm sorry. I should have told you I'd asked her out. That was a rotten way for you to find out. I'm sorry, Jules. But I didn't know it would upset you this much."

She wanted to tell him to go screw himself but she bit back the words. She wouldn't let him see just how much he'd hurt her. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction. She knew in her head that she was being unreasonable, that it would bother him if he knew just how much he'd hurt her, but her heart wasn't listening to reason right now. "No, I get it Cole. She's pretty, she's blonde, and she's a cheerleader. You're one of the star players on the team, it was bound to happen that being around them would change you. You always said you weren't a jock, that you just liked to play football, but you **are** a jock. You can't lie about that anymore, Cole. All it took for you to turn your back on the people who liked you for you, from the very start, was Kelly Matthews batting her lashes at you. Just like any other jock its all about having the hot cheerleader on your arm. She gives you the social status that just being on the team doesn't."

Cole stared at her. "You think I'm dating her for social status?" he asked.

Juliana shrugged. "Doesn't matter. The very fact that you follow her around like a good little puppy and ignore the people who were your real friends, says it all Cole. You like her, I'm happy for you, but that doesn't mean I'm going to sit there on the bleachers every day, after being brushed aside for her, and watch you two play tonsil hockey as soon as practice is done as if no one else exists." She looked away from him. "Shouldn't you be off with the team and your girlfriend?"

"I told them I had something to do," he replied. He didn't understand where her anger was coming from. "Jules, don't be mad at me, please. You and Kara, you're my best friends. I'm sorry I didn't tell you first, I didn't think about it, and I know that makes me an idiot."

Juliana sat there trying to hold onto her anger because it was better than letting him see her cry. She would **not** cry in front of him, even if her heart was broken because of him. "Okay," she said after a moment and held up her hand. "That doesn't mean I'm going to suck up to her just because you think she's hot. I might be able to deal with her after a while, but not in the near future. You've gone from 'I'm not a jock and I'm not going to sit with them' to cuddling with a cheerleader and hanging out with your new best buddies. But I'm not going to be a bad friend, because I value my friends, and tell you that you have to choose between us." It wasn't like she had many of them. Two. Well, one really now because she didn't know how much she would be able to be around Cole while he was dating Kelly, or the next human who caught his eye. "I just... need time, I guess."

Cole sighed in relief. "Alright Jules, I can do that. You and Kara should come sit with us at lunch."

Juliana's nose wrinkled. "Not a chance in hell, Cole. Not now, not ever. I might be able to stomach her pawing at you, eventually, but there is no way I am going to sit at that table. You made your choice Cole. Me and Kara, we might have been your best friends, once upon a time, but you're becoming a different person and they're becoming your best friends. And yeah, that makes me really sad, but it just helps to remind me that some of the things I learned, before papa rescued me from the abusive foster home I was in, are true." She didn't go into detail about what she meant. He'd proven what her foster parents told her for three years. No one would ever want a dirty mulatto like her, no one worth having anyway. "I'm kind of tired. I'll see you around school, I guess," she said softly.

Cole wanted to push her to talk to him but he just sighed and stood up. "Okay Jules," he said and left.

Juliana waited until she knew he was gone before she unplugged her headphones so the music that was playing would muffle her soft cries. She'd wanted so badly to be wrong. When she told him he'd made his choice, that the jocks were his best friends now, she'd wanted him to vehemently deny it. But he didn't. How could she have been so wrong about him? She knew she was going to have to push all that hurt down, act like it didn't bother her at all to see them together, or she would lose him completely. As much as it hurt to see Cole and Kelly together, if she was really his friend, she would be happy for him. She wouldn't let her crush on him ruin their friendship. It wasn't going to be easy but it was the best she could do.


	6. Chapter Six

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

A few days later, Juliana had managed to finally stuff her hurt down deep so that Cole, at least, was fooled into thinking everything was fine between them. She knew Kara didn't buy it, but then Kara could smell the lie. But Kara didn't pry, she already knew why Juliana was upset but keeping it to herself. Juliana was glad that she was finally able to sit in the cafeteria again to eat lunch. She got there before Kara and sat down so she would only see Cole if she turned her head really far, which meant her back was to the lunch line and the open area leading into the cafeteria. That was why she was startled when Kara sat down across from her and two guys joined them. She hadn't seen them coming. "Hey Kara," she said and frowned a little.

"Hey Jules. This is Kyle, that's Ryan," Kara said, introducing the guys. "This is Juliana, but you guys already know that."

Ryan turned to Juliana and smiled. "It's nice to meet you."

He had a nice smile and Juliana found herself returning it, just a little. "It's nice to meet you too. Wait, what do you mean they already knew who I was, Kara?"

Kara rolled her eyes. "Exactly what I said. It's not like this school is huge, Jules. Just because **you** don't know everyone's name doesn't mean a lot of the kids here don't know yours."

"Oh. Good point, I guess," Juliana replied.

Ryan turned his attention to Juliana. "I have a little confession to make," he said and gave a quick smile. "I asked Kara to introduce us."

Juliana gave him a puzzled look. "Why?"

"Because I wanted to meet you," he said with a shrug. "I think you're really pretty, and you're different, and I like that," he added.

"You do know I'm a werewolf, right?" she asked.

"Yeah. What of it?"

"That doesn't bother you?" She figured that might have had something to do with why Cole suddenly liked Kelly, he didn't want to date a werewolf, but maybe she was wrong. Maybe he just thought she wasn't good enough. She pushed the thoughts away because that would just make her hurt again.

"No, why should it? You're still a person, Juliana. I mean, my granddad's a werewolf, and sure it's a little freaky that he could pass for an older brother or something, but I don't have any problems with you being a werewolf."

She sat back in her chair. "Huh. Okay then. In that case, call me Jules. That's what my friends and family call me. Well, except for Uncle Samuel, he still calls me Little Wolf most of the time, and every once in a while papa calls me little one. But for the most part, friends and family call me Jules."

"Alright Jules," Ryan said. He suddenly felt a bit nervous but plowed ahead with what he was thinking. "Um, do you have a date to homecoming yet?" he asked and there was a hopeful look in his eyes.

She'd all but decided to not go, but now, well, she was having second thoughts. "Not yet, no," she finally said.

"Would you do me the honor of going with me then? We can go as friends, if you like. I mean, we did just meet and I don't want you to feel awkward."

Juliana was glad her parents had taught her how to tell when someone was lying. She looked into his earnest face and knew he was being completely honest with her, even when he'd said he thought she was really pretty. "You know what? I think it would be fun, so yeah, I'll go to homecoming with you." Sure, it wasn't Cole taking her but he'd made his choice and she needed to give up the crush she had on him.

"Cool. You just tell me what color you're wearing and I'll make sure we match."

It felt odd sitting there talking about the homecoming dance with a boy she just met but she figured that was just because she wasn't used to it. She didn't really have many friends. Sure there were others at school she talked to, but in terms of close friendship, it was just Kara and Cole. She wondered briefly what Cole might say about her date but then she shrugged it off. It didn't matter. It wasn't like he'd asked her what she thought about Kelly.

********************A&O********************

After school Juliana went straight home. She needed to go to Missoula to get everything to make her homecoming dress. The one she'd been designing the other day before she found out Cole and Kelly were dating. "Hi mama, can you take me to Missoula?" she asked as soon as she was in the front door.

"What do you need to go to Missoula for sweetie?" Anna asked.

"Um... because I need to get some stuff to make my homecoming dress," she replied with a grin.

"You're going after all?"

"Yep. I have a date. He's a friend of Kara's, from her drama club. His name is Ryan and he seems nice. He said we can go as just friends if I'm uncomfortable calling it a date since we just met."

Anna went to her and hugged her. "Well then, let's go get you whatever you need," she replied and went to get her coat and bag.

They spent hours shopping but Juliana was pleased with her purchases. She would ask Grandma Aria to help with the final fitting, to be sure the dress fit perfectly, once she had it put together. She was anxious to get started on it because she had less than two weeks to get it done.

********************A&O********************

Cole bowed out of getting pizza after practice. He had to finish his research paper, that was the excuse he gave them, and it was partly true, but he also wanted to talk to Juliana. He wanted to know what she and Ryan Carlson were talking about at lunch. He didn't try to reason it out, why it bugged him. It just did. He pulled in just behind Anna and Juliana.

"Hi Mrs. Cornick, need some help?" he asked because she was taking several bags out of the trunk of her car.

"Sure. If you want to grab the last two bags, go for it. It's all going in Jules's room," Anna replied.

Cole snagged the bags, closed the trunk, and followed Anna into the house and down the hall to Juliana's bedroom.

Juliana was surprised to see him but she gave him a faint smile. She waited until her door was closed and she was certain her mother was in the kitchen, before she spoke. "Why aren't you with the team? Don't you all go get pizza after practice?" she asked.

"Yeah, we do, but I didn't go tonight. I have to finish my research paper, it's due tomorrow, but I wanted to stop here first," Cole replied.

Jules sat Indian style on her bed. "Oh? How come?" she asked.

Cole perched on the edge of the bed and looked at her. "What were you and Ryan Carlson talking about? I didn't even know you knew him," Cole said, avoiding answering the question directly. He, Kara, and Ryan were all one grade higher than Juliana, they were all juniors, he wasn't sure how Jules knew him.

"I didn't until today. Kara introduced us," Juliana replied. She gave him a puzzled look. "He asked me to homecoming," she added.

He'd been looking around the room and his head jerked back to look at her when she said that. "What? What did you tell him?"

"I said yes. Not that it's any of your business, Cole." She knew she sounded grumpy when she said it but she couldn't help that.

Cole frowned. "You're my friend Jules and I don't want to see you get hurt. You don't even know him."

Juliana watched him a moment. "What makes you think he's going to hurt me?"

"I just do. Don't go with him, Jules."

Juliana shook her head. "We're going as friends, because you're right, I don't know him, but maybe I need to stop being afraid to let people in. You have your football buddies, Kara has the drama club, me, I have no one. If I'm not at your practice I'm sitting here at the house, alone." She shrugged. "Besides, it's not like you have any say in what I do or who I maybe go out with. You didn't ask my opinion on Kelly," she pointed out. "I'm not mad at you, Cole. I just don't think you have any right to tell me not to go to the dance with the **only** person who has asked."

"You're right Jules, you're right. I don't have any. But you're my friend and I care about you. I'd be a pretty crappy friend if I **didn't** worry about why someone who has never even said hello to you in the halls suddenly asked you out. I've been crappy enough already."

Juliana scooted over to him and hugged him. "Thanks for being worried. At least I have an edge," she said and when he gave her a puzzled look she added, "If he tried to do something I didn't like or want I could break his arm."

Cole blinked then laughed. "Good point, Jules. Just be careful, okay?"

"I will." It felt nice knowing he was worried.

"I gotta get home and finish this stupid paper so I can turn it in tomorrow. See you later, Jules," Cole said and left.

Juliana watched him go and her smile faded. She'd done a pretty good job of fooling him into believing everything was fine. She tried to ignore the way her wolf whined in her head and went to work on her dress. Anything to distract her from how she really felt.

********************A&O********************

Juliana lifted her gaze to the full length mirror she stood in front of. She was a little nervous about the dress she'd designed, afraid it wouldn't look right on her or that the color would look awful now that she had no other option **but** to wear it. But when she looked at herself in the mirror she just stared, stunned by her reflection. The dress fit perfectly and the soft lavender color looked lovely against her skin. The dress itself looked like she'd taken layers of gauze and draped it in frilly vertical lines down her body, from the waist down, and wrapped it tightly around her from the waist up. It had a single strap, going over her right shoulder, to keep it from being a strapless dress. It flowed around her when she moved and for the first time in her young life she felt... beautiful. Her mama had helped with her hair, putting it in a twist that left the ends to trail down in ringlets. Because her grandpa required all of his wolves to wear a cross she'd picked out a purple choker made of velvet with a lovely black and purple cross on it. That way she still followed the rules and it matched her dress. A few hair clips with purple gems on them were discreetly clipped into her hair, the gems sparkling when the light caught them just right. Anna then helped her with her makeup, just a bit of eye shadow, blush and lipstick, and the over all effect was breathtaking.

"Jules, honey, you look beautiful," Anna said softly.

Juliana turned and gave her mother a shy smile. "Thank you mama." She bit her lip a moment. "Is it normal to be nervous?" she asked.

Anna went to her and hugged her. "Yes, sweetheart, it is. Even if this isn't a romantic date, it's still your first date. I don't know any girl who wouldn't be nervous on her first date. Come on, let's not leave that poor boy out there with your papa too long," she said and was rewarded with a soft giggle from her daughter.

"Papa can be very scary when he wants to be."

"Yes, he can, especially when it comes to protecting the people he cares about," Anna said.

********************A&O********************

Ryan was sitting on the sofa across from Charles. He'd met the man's eyes briefly then lowered his own. He knew enough about werewolves to know keeping eye contact could be a bad thing.

"Your grandfather speaks highly of you," Charles said. "I trust you won't give me a reason to contradict his high opinion."

"No sir," Ryan replied. "I like Juliana. She's sweet, honest, and yes I think she's pretty. We're going tonight as friends, but if we become more, that's her choice, sir."

Charles studied him a moment then nodded. The boy was calm, that was impressive, and he was being truthful. "Why has it taken this long to become friends if that is how you see my daughter?"

"Honestly, sir, I was nervous. I've known Kara since she moved here and I saw her and Juliana together all the time, but I was always nervous about approaching her. Especially after what Ronnie Harper did. She always seemed... skittish of people. Kara and I are in drama club together and I asked her about that, she said Juliana had a really rotten life before she came to live with you and Mrs. Cornick and I didn't want to do something to upset her. Then, two weeks ago, because I'd finally asked Kara to introduce us, she dragged me and my buddy Kyle to the table she and Juliana always sit at for lunch and did exactly that."

"What has Kara told you about what Juliana is?" Charles asked.

Ryan frowned. "I'm not sure what you mean, sir."

"My daughter is a submissive wolf. That makes dominant wolves, and sometimes dominant humans, feel very protective of her. I believe that's what you're feeling, it's why you're making it her choice, because you feel protective of her."

Ryan nodded. "Yeah, I guess I do. I didn't know about that. I guess granddad hasn't told me everything there is to know about werewolves."

Charles heard the bedroom door open and turned. "You're growing up on me little one," he said when he saw Juliana.

Ryan stood and turned. "Wow, Jules, you look beautiful," he said. He'd gone with a shirt in a pale lavender with black dress slacks, jacket, and tie.

"Thank you," Juliana said with a shy smile. "You look really handsome," she admitted. The purple shirt actually looked pretty good on him.

When they got to the living room Anna took several pictures of them together then kissed her daughter's cheek. "Have fun tonight sweetie."

"Have her home by midnight," Charles said after giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek as well.

"Yes sir," Ryan said before he offered his arm to Juliana and escorted her out.

"I'm surprised you didn't tell him to bring her home earlier," Anna said.

"He won't do anything to hurt her or pressure her or else I would have," Charles replied.

Anna arched a brow. "You know that just from talking to him?" When he nodded she shook her head. "I don't know how you do it honey. I still would have been doubtful but I trust your judgment."

********************A&O********************

They arrived at the school and Ryan escorted her inside. Kyle and Kara were waiting for them. Kara went with a dress in red and black. The dress looked like it was draped over her frame, mostly in a dark violet red that split at the waist to reveal the black inner lining. There was sheer fabric with lace attached to it across her shoulders and arms to look like a short cape that was actually sleeves. It looked good on her.

"Hi guys," Ryan said as they approached them.

Kara turned and her eyes widened at Juliana's dress. "Jules, that dress is absolutely gorgeous. Where did you get it?"

"I made it," Juliana said, a hint of pride in her voice. "Yours looks gorgeous too, but I could never pull off the red and black like that," she added.

"You made it? That is absolutely amazing," Kara said then she preened. "Thanks. Come on guys, let's go dance," she added and they headed into the gym. It had been transformed from a bland gymnasium to a gold and silver dream.

"Wow, the homecoming committee did a great job," Juliana said.

"Yeah they did," Kara agreed. Music was playing, kids were talking and laughing, and everyone seemed to already be having a blast as the quartet found a table to sit at.

Juliana glanced around the gym and her gaze found Cole. He stood with the jocks and their dates, his arm around Kelly, who's little black dress looked like if she bent over she'd flash everything she had at the room, and some of the good feelings Juliana had disappeared. Seeing him hurt but she shoved it down. She wouldn't let it ruin the night. She'd known she'd see him with Kelly, she'd thought she was prepared for that, but the dress made Jules wonder just how intense things were between the two. She shook her head slightly. No, she wouldn't think about that. She really didn't want to know. There was a festive air to the dance because they'd won their homecoming game the night before and people were still stoked about the win.

"You okay?" Kara asked softly. She could practically feel Juliana's emotions but she'd also seen the slight head shake, although she didn't think Ryan noticed.

Juliana shrugged. "Doesn't really matter, Kara. We're here to have fun, right? Let's have fun."

********************A&O********************

Cole stood there next to Kelly, his arm wrapped around her waist, but when Juliana walked in he found he couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked beautiful and it made him remember feelings he'd tried to get rid of because she was just his friend. If he'd known she had stronger feelings for him, he'd have never asked Kelly out. But he didn't know. When he finally tore his gaze from her it took a lot more effort than was pretty.

Kelly frowned up at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing, just thinking too hard, I guess," he replied and was glad she let it go. He let her drag him onto the dance floor to distract himself from his thoughts.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was shy about going out onto the dance floor, she wasn't sure she was much of a dancer, but soon Kara got her out there and she was having too much fun to be embarrassed. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of fun, they munched on goodies from the long table set up on one end of the gym, and she found herself really enjoying the night.

A slow song came on and Ryan looked at Juliana. "Care to dance?" he asked and held a hand out to her.

Jules bit her lip then slipped her hand into his. She could **try** to let herself think of him as more than a friend. He **was** really cute, after all.

Ryan was careful as he pulled her close. He kept a comfortable distance between their bodies so she wouldn't tense up. It wasn't just because Charles Cornick was one scary mofo, he didn't want to do anything to make **her** uncomfortable. The night was coming to an end though and he wasn't sure if he'd have the courage to even try to see if there was a spark between them if he didn't do it now. As the song ended he leaned down and kissed her.

Juliana was startled when he kissed her and she froze for a second. Her first kiss and it didn't move her. Not like she thought a kiss should. She pulled back from him and looked down. "I'm sorry Ryan, really I am. You're cute, and you've been really great, and I wish..." She sighed softly. "I just... I don't feel that way about you, I'm sorry."

Ryan touched her arm. "Jules, it's okay. I had to try, had to see. I told you, if it's just as friends then okay. But the only way to know if there's a chance for more is to try, right? Honest, it's okay."

She'd started to panic, thinking he'd be upset, but his words diffused the fear. "You're sure?" she asked and when he nodded she relaxed. "Okay."

********************A&O********************

Cole was on the dance floor, not all that far from where Ryan and Juliana were dancing, with Kelly practically plastered against him. You'd think his mind would be on his girlfriend pressed against him with the promise of more than a dance but he kept glancing discreetly at Juliana. When the song ended and Ryan kissed her, Cole wanted to go pull him away from her. He didn't hear what Juliana said to Ryan but he saw her reaction and he'd actually started to pull away from Kelly when he saw Jules relax. Whatever was being said she wasn't upset anymore and he was able to let himself be tugged off the dance floor by his girlfriend.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was quiet on the short drive to her home. She felt kind of bad because she wasn't up to going to the little 'after party' that everyone knew about. She'd asked Ryan if he minded taking her home and he'd assured her he didn't. "I'm sorry this wasn't such a great night," she said softly. "Maybe you should have taken somebody else, someone who wasn't such a... loser," she added.

"You're not a loser, Jules. I had fun tonight. You do remember I asked you to go as friends, right? Is this because I kissed you? I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

Juliana shifted in the seat. "No, it's okay. It was nice, but I still feel bad that it didn't make me feel the way they say a kiss should. You really are great, I guess we're just not... compatible."

Ryan reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. "Don't sweat it. Tonight was fun. Hey, you should come watch rehearsals, come give me, Kara, and Kyle some support," he said with a laugh. "You can come watch us prance around in tights." The drama club was doing A Midsummer Night's Dream.

That made Juliana laugh. "Maybe I will."

They pulled into the driveway and Ryan walked her to the door. "Thanks for a fun night, Jules," he said before he kissed her cheek and went back to his car.

"You too, Ryan," she replied and went inside. She was an hour early but she was happy to be home. She was confused about a number of things and decided it was time to open up to her mother and get some much needed advice.

"You're home early," Anna said when Juliana came inside. She studied her daughter's face. "Is everything alright?" she asked gently.

"I don't know, mama," Juliana replied. "But can we talk in the morning? I'm kinda tired," she added.

"Of course, sweetheart," Anna said and after Juliana slipped into her bedroom Anna shared a concerned look with her mate. Something was weighing heavily on her daughter's mind. Anna just hoped she was able to help her with it when she finally confided in her come morning.


	7. Chapter Seven

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Morning came and Juliana was unusually quiet while she ate breakfast. It hurt her parents to see because it was too reminiscent of the quiet, withdrawn little girl she'd been when she first arrived. Anna wanted so badly to ask what was wrong but she gave her daughter her privacy and let her bring it up on her own. She knew Juliana wanted to talk, it was just a matter of her feeling like it was the right time to do it.

Juliana was helping her mother with the dishes when she finally started to talk. "I don't know what's wrong with me mama," she said softly.

"What do you mean sweetie?" Anna asked.

"Cole always says I'm pretty, he's always telling me I need to start seeing myself the way I really am and not the way my old foster parents made me feel, but then he started dating Kelly. She's everything I'm not. White, blonde, curvy... human. If he thinks I'm so pretty why is he dating her?" she asked. "Every time I see them together it hurts so much. But I have to be a good friend and pretend it doesn't. I feel like I'm dying inside and sometimes my wolf whines and I have a hard time not letting it out." Tears glistened in her eyes. "What's wrong with me mama? Why doesn't he want me?" she asked and her voice broke.

Anna pulled her daughter into her arms, mostly to comfort her but also to hide the horror she knew was on her face. She knew what was happening but she didn't think it was possible because of her age. How do you tell a not quite fifteen year old girl that the reason it hurts so much is because her wolf has chosen a mate who doesn't feel the same way and it's mourning the loss? "There is **nothing** wrong with you honey. Teenage boys are odd creatures, most often controlled by their hormones. Cole has known you for almost three years now, you're best friends, and sometimes boys can't see past that. That doesn't mean he doesn't think you're pretty. Just that you're his best friend and he doesn't know you like him that way. Boys can be really oblivious sometimes sweetie."

Juliana clung to her mother and cried. She felt her father approach seconds before his strong arms wrapped around both of them and she was cocooned in their warmth and love.

"Your mama's right. Teenage boys don't always see what's right in front of them. And sometimes, no, most of the time, they only see the ones that flaunt their interest. They don't pick up on the subtle signs, especially if those signs come from someone they're already close to." Charles had to reign Brother Wolf in because he wanted to go confront Cole for hurting their pup. Brother Wolf didn't think like a human, in his mind someone was hurting their pup and they needed to pay. But this wasn't something brute force could fix.

"Why does it hurt so much?" Juliana whispered.

Anna looked at her mate but there wasn't anything comforting in his eyes. He didn't know how to answer it either. Anna realized the only thing she could do was be honest. "You know how papa and I, or Uncle Samuel and Aunt Chloe, or Grandma and Grandpa are mates?" she asked and when Juliana nodded she continued. "Choosing a mate isn't like just being in love with someone. You can fall in love and get married but not have the mate bond. It happens a lot with werewolves. We can still fall in love, being a wolf doesn't stop that. Having a mate is different. It's a deeper bond than love or marriage, similar to the pack bonds. That feeling of connection and belonging you got when you became pack, the mate bond is similar. Love isn't even necessary for the mate bond, just a willingness between the two, at least for werewolves, like with Grandpa and his old mate, Leah. They weren't in love but they were mates. When the bond is between a werewolf and a human though, love is always a part of it, it's what builds the bond. I think the reason it hurts so much, sweetie, is because somehow, even though you're still so young, your wolf has chosen Cole and that pain is her mourning, grieving, the loss of him."

"But he's not gone," she said, confused.

"Not physically, no. But he is with someone else so to your wolf it's as if he died."

"Will it ever go away?" Juliana asked.

"In time, but I can't tell you how long it will be. I would protect you from this if I could, honey," Anna said and tightened her arms around her.

"We both would, little one," Charles said and Brother Wolf was in his eyes.

Juliana's crying finally stopped but she stayed there in their arms for several minutes. "You didn't really want to tell me about the mate stuff, did you?" she asked, and looked up at her mother.

"If I could have explained it any other way I would have. I didn't know if you would really understand it. I mean I still have a hard time understanding it sometimes. But you deserved the truth," Anna replied.

"Thank you, mama," she said and sighed. "I had fun last night, even if it did hurt to see them there," she said, changing the subject and Anna let her do it. "Kara thought it was so cool I made my own dress," she added with a faint grin.

Anna laughed and the embrace ended. "Well, it **is** cool honey. You did an amazing job with it."

Charles slipped away while they talked. He needed to go for a run because Brother Wolf was still agitated and running would burn it off.

"Mama? I've been thinking about what Cyrus said about my talent. I think I want to go into architectural design," she said after a moment. "I really enjoy it and he says I'm really good."

"If that's what you want to do honey your papa and I will support you one hundred percent. Even if that means having to find you a pack near where you want to go."

"You mean it?" Juliana asked.

"Of course I do honey. Oh, I know your papa will growl and be grumpy over you leaving home, and we'd both miss you terribly, but neither of us would ever try to stop you from chasing your dreams." She studied her daughter. "You already know where you want to go, don't you?"

Juliana nodded. "Yeah. The School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology. They have one of the best programs and they've received a lot of awards and... I could do my internship with Stavros Building and Design. Cyrus and Thea both said their papa would be very impressed with my sketches."

Her wolf was howling in her head about their pup, their baby, going so far away, but Anna didn't let that show on her face. Juliana was growing up and they would just have to accept that. "If that's what you really want honey, we'll sit down with your grandpa and work it all out. There is a pack in the Bronx, so you'll have a pack to go to, and I know Bran and your papa have been keeping an eye on them since they changed Cyrus without his full consent, to make sure they weren't putting all of us at risk."

"I'd like to tell papa myself, about wanting to go all the way to New York for school," Juliana said quietly.

"Alright honey," Anna agreed. It would probably be better coming from her anyway.

Mama? Can I ask you a question? I've been wondering about this for a while now. What is it that papa does when Grandpa sends him to other packs? Sometimes, when he comes home, he's so tense it scares me."

"Do you remember when your papa found you and rescued you?" Anna asked.

"When that werewolf attacked me?" Juliana asked, still puzzled.

"Yes. That's part of what he does. If a wolf breaks one of the Marrok's laws, any of the rules put in place to allow us to remain safe and undetected by humans, your papa is the one who is sent to punish them for it. Sometimes that means he has to kill them, like he did with the werewolf who attacked you. Sometimes it's just to make a change in pack leadership, or some other form of physical punishment to remind them that breaking our laws can get them a death sentence. When he comes home tense it usually means it was rough. He doesn't like having to do it but he knows it's necessary. And even when he doesn't want me to help him with my gifts, he can't help but want you near. You ground him and help him to remember he's more than just the Marrok's enforcer. He's your papa and you love him."

"I really help him?" Juliana asked.

"Yes, you do," Anna assured her.

********************A&O********************

Later that afternoon Juliana went into her father's office where he sat at his desk going over pack finances. She moved to him and gave him a sideways hug.

"What's that for little one?" he asked.

"Just cuz," she replied. "I love you papa," she added then looked at him. "Next weekend, can we go camping?" she asked.

Charles looked at her. "Of course we can, but what brought this on?" he asked at her sudden change in mood. Ah, teenagers, they were so mercurial.

Juliana shrugged. "I'm not gonna let stuff get to me, or try not to. Besides, we haven't been camping in months and grandpa is working you too hard," she said.

Charles chuckles. "Alright, camping next weekend it is." He couldn't help but smile at the way she bounced happily out of his office. _'Charles, we have a problem.'_ The smile faded from his face as his Da's voice filtered through his mind. He dialed his Da's number, said "I'll be right there," then hung up.

Anna saw him as he headed for the front door and she knew, with the way he was carrying himself, something was up. "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't know yet. Da said there's a problem. I'll let you know as soon as I know something," he replied and left.

********************A&O********************

Bran was in his study when the phone rang. It was a local call, Ms. Eden Nichols, one of the teachers as well as the guidance counselor from the school, and he cocked a brow as he answered. "Bran Cornick."

"I'm sorry to bother you Marrok but I didn't know who else to call. We have four missing teenagers, all human. They went to a party after the homecoming dance last night but left early and no one has seen them since."

"I need you to find out everything you can about them, what they were wearing, what they were traveling in, everything. Don't worry, Ms. Nichols, we'll find them," Bran said and hung up. Then he sent the same message to Charles, Asil, Tag, and Cyrus, the latter of whom had proven himself determined to help the pack in any way possible. _'We have a problem.'_ Then he waited for everyone to arrive before he filled them in so he didn't have to say it more than once.

********************A&O********************

Anna was working on a scarf she was knitting for Juliana when her phone rang. "Hello, Anna, this is John, Kara's dad. Is she there by any chance?" she heard as soon as she answered. "Hello, John. No, we haven't seen her."

"Oh god, I was hoping... Kara didn't come home last night. She'd asked for permission to go to a party after the dance, we wanted her to know we trust her, so we said yes. I was hoping she'd gone home with Juliana after it and just forgot to call."

"No, Jules came straight home from the dance. Don't worry, John, we'll figure out where she is. I'm going to make a couple of calls, okay? I'll call you as soon as I have any news," she said and hung up. "Jules, honey, can you come here?" Anna called while she dialed Bran's number.

"What's wrong mama?"

"Is there anywhere Kara would go if she didn't want to go home, besides coming here?"

"No," Juliana replied. "What's wrong? Did something happen to Kara?" she asked, worry in her voice.

"I don't know honey, not yet." She had to turn her attention to her phone when Bran answered.

"Anna, I do hope this is important," Bran said, mild annoyance in his voice since she'd interrupted them while they were planning how to go about searching for the kids.

"Kara is missing. Is that important enough for you?" she said hotly.

There was silence on the other end for a moment. "Then we have five missing teens, not four."

Anna frowned. "What do you mean five missing teens?"

"I received a call from Ms. Nichols. Four sets of parents have contacted her because their children didn't make it home last night and she was the one who organized the dance. Now that we know that Kara is missing as well we'll have a better chance of finding them quickly." Bran hung up and looked at Asil. "We know Kara is alive or we all would have felt her death. Find our lost pack member," he said. The teens had to have gotten into an accident somewhere, one that was bad enough Kara wasn't able to walk away from it. Otherwise she would have gone for help, He wondered if the humans were even alive.

********************A&O********************

Kara awoke to pain. It took her several tries to get her eyes open and she realized they were crusted with something. It hurt to move her right arm but not her left one and she rubbed her face until she could open them. Why did she hurt? Her mind was fuzzy until she heard a moan not far from her. Oh, yeah. That's why. They'd left Kyle's car at the school when they went to the party, choosing to just catch a ride with a couple of other kids from school. Half an hour after they arrived the trio decided they wanted to go to a party they'd heard about in Troy, one that was supposed to be really awesome. Kara was reluctant but Kyle talked her into going to it. They never made it to Troy.

She shifted her gaze and found why she was hurting so much, and why she couldn't move. First, a piece of metal was embedded in her side. Her body healed around it, for the most part, but every shift reopened the injury itself. She was also pinned from the hips down by the mangled car frame and she was almost certain it had cut into her as well. Her right arm was still healing but it was at an odd angle and she swallowed bile when she realized it was because she'd broken it in the accident and it was healing wrong. It would have to be broken all over again in order for the bone to be set so it could heal correctly. Movement off to her left caught her attention and she turned her head slowly. "Kyle?" He was dragging himself towards her.

"Oh thank god, Kara, I though you were dead," Kyle said, pain in his voice. "I think.. I think Mia is, and maybe Sean," he added. "They're not moving at all."

Kara focused on the sounds around her and listened for the one thing that would help her to know if anyone was dead. Tears threatened after a moment. "I only hear four heartbeats," she whispered. Mia and Sean were in drama with them; she had such a funny sense of humor and he was shy until he was on stage. Bobby she didn't know as well, he was a friend of Sean's.

"I can't get a signal out here," Kyle said, showing her his cellphone. "I don't even know how I didn't lose it, but I can't get a signal," he added, teeth gritted in pain.

"They'll find us. Someone has to know we're missing and the pack, they'll find us," Kara said. She felt Kyle's hand grip hers and blinked because she'd closed her eyes without realizing it.

"I hope so," Kyle said, eyes closing.

"Kyle, stay awake." Kara was suddenly filled with fear. She was a werewolf, she could survive a concussion, but if Kyle fell asleep he might not wake up. "Kyle, you have to stay awake," she said again.

He blinked several times. "I feel like I'm going to be sick and my head is killing me," he said. "On top of everything else." He knew his left leg was badly broken and he was trying to ignore the pain that made him want to hurl every time he tried to move it, and he had cuts and bruises, but he wasn't sure what else might be **really** hurt.

"How did you get thrown from the car?" Kara asked. "You had your seat belt on."

"I didn't get thrown. I was checking on the others, since they were. Maybe that's why... it's not so bad for me." The other three wouldn't wear theirs and Kara's seat belt slipped when they were hit and ran off the road, which was why she wasn't thrown completely free of the car. "I gotta close my eyes, Kara," Kyle said and no amount of arguing from her could keep them open.

"Please find us soon, Bran," she whispered and wished she had his nifty talent of being able to talk mind to mind with others. Or rather, send messages since he couldn't hear anything they might send back.

********************A&O********************

Anna had to practically order her daughter to not go running off in search of her friend. Without any clue where to look that would just make things worse. Anna's suggestion was to get the parents of the missing teens all in one place so that when they finally had news to share, it would be easier. She made a quick call to her mate to let him know the plan so Bran would know what was going on, then she let them do their job.

Everyone gathered at Bran's home while the men went out to search. As soon as Samuel heard he'd gone with them as well. After all, he was a doctor. Aria, Sage, Thea, and Chloe helped Anna keep the parents as calm as possible.

"Why is it taking so long?" Tara Simpson, Mia's mother, asked.

"These things take time but I promise you they're doing everything they can to find them," Anna replied.

"And what if they're dead or dying?" This from Robert Aston, Bobby's father. "Or doesn't that matter? Your wolf will be fine, who cares about the humans, right?"

Aria put her hand on Anna's arm because she saw the anger in her eyes. "Let me," she said and then approached him. "I understand your fear, I truly do. The though of something happening to my daughter terrifies me and makes me want to put her in a bubble to keep her safe. **Every** child is precious to us. All of you know how difficult it is for werewolves to have children. Female werewolves will never know the joy of motherhood and the only children that survive to be born, when the father is a wolf, is one that is completely human, and even then they don't always survive. That's why so many of you were confused over Chloe's pregnancy two years ago. Know this, each of you. We want **all** of them back safe, but if the worst happens, none of you will grieve alone. I know my words are small comfort when you fear so strongly for the safety of your children, but the Marrok and the others are doing all they can to find them and bring them home."

"I'm sorry. You're right. I know the Marrok cares about everyone, not just the werewolves. I'm just scared for my son and the others," Robert admitted.

"I know. It's okay to be scared, we all are," Aria said gently.

********************A&O********************

Charles wanted to search on four feet but Bran initially vetoed that idea. He wouldn't be able to keep a phone with him and if he found them first he wouldn't be able to contact anyone. Asil had gotten a direction and they were headed towards Troy.

"Da, I can howl if I find them. It would be faster, and with four human children at risk, you know this is the right call to make," Charles said.

"He's right, Da," Samuel said in his brother's defense. "We know which way to go, he's the only one of us who can shift quickly and be of help to them, and he can move in a more direct line while we have to stick to the road," he added.

Bran listened to their reasoning and then nodded. "You're right. Go," he said.

Charles stripped and was off, changing as he ran. Time was running out for the teens, they needed to find them soon.

********************A&O********************

Kara tried to get a grip on the metal in her side to pull it out. If she got it out she could heal and maybe then she'd be able to get the car off her. It was questionable with her right arm healing wrong, but she was hopeful. _'Kara, we are looking for all of you, we will find you.'_ __Bran's voice in her head made her whimper. It was already too late for Mia, she hadn't told Kyle which one of them she was certain was dead because she didn't want to upset him further, but maybe Kyle, Sean and Bobby would make it. Small comfort, but that was all she had at the moment.

********************A&O********************

Charles smelled gasoline and followed his nose to the source. As soon as he saw the car he knew he'd found them. He howled long and loud to be sure his Da and the others heard him and then he shifted so he could check on everyone. He came to two of the humans first. The girl, he knew, was dead before he touched her but he checked for a pulse anyway. The boy near her was alive. His pulse was thready but there. "Help." The voice was barely above a whisper but Charles recognized it. He moved to the mangled car and knelt. "Kara, it's going to be okay," he said to her, trying to keep her calm.

"Check Kyle and Bobby first, please," she whispered.

He did what she asked before he returned to her. "They're alive. I need to get you out from under this car," he told her. "I can't get to the metal in your side otherwise. The others are coming Kara, it's going to be okay." He knew it was probably going to hurt her for him to get the car off her but it needed to be done.

Kara tried to prepare herself for the pain but it was worse than she'd expected. She'd been right, part of the frame had cut into her and the skin had healed against it just like with the metal in her side. She felt it tearing and screamed before she blacked out from the pain.

While Kara was passed out Charles took advantage of it and got the metal out of her side as well. He'd debated on taking care of her right arm and left it for Samuel since he would know how to lessen any further damage to her already battered body.

By the time the others reached them Kara was awake. A quick discussion had them leaving Kara's arm alone until they got the other teens out. Of the four who'd survived the crash she was the one who was the least in danger so it made sense, and since she'd refused to let anyone touch her until she knew the others were on their way to the hospital, well, that was the only real option they had.

By the time they got Bobby, Kyle, and Sean up to the road ambulances were there to take them to the hospital. Bobby and Sean would be taken to Missoula, because their condition was critical, but Kyle would be treated in Aspen Creek. Mia's body was next and Kara cried as they carried her dead friend past her.

********************A&O********************

Aria was doing what she did best in times of trouble; keeping the parents distracted as best she could and taking care of them. Coffee and tea were offered and she used gentle touches here and there to convey her own concern for the well being of their children. Whenever she needed to she would promise that they would hear something soon. When her mate's voice slid into her mind she excused herself to get a fresh cup of tea.

 _'We've found the missing kids but it's not all good news. Kara is fine. Injured, but fine and she'll be healed within a few hours. Kyle Chandler has a badly broken leg and some minor injuries and is on his way to the clinic in Aspen Creek to be treated. Sean Brown and Bobby Aston are both in critical condition and on their way to Missoula now. Mia Simpson, however, didn't make it."_ How did he know who they were? He was the Marrok and they were his people. It was his job to know. Some might wonder why he told his mate instead of one of the Omegas who were there, but Aria wasn't one of those who would. Bran knew his mate well, he knew Aria knew how to deliver such news with gentleness and compassion, and she would be able to offer comfort to the parents. Anna and Thea would be there to help keep them calm and keep them from losing control, completely, especially Mia's father, Leon, who was pack.

Aria stood there at the counter for several minutes to get her emotions and her face under control. When she was sure she gave nothing away she took a deep breath and went back to the family room where everyone waited. "I just heard from Bran, they found the kids." She held up a hand to stop any questions so she could continue. "Bobby and Sean are in bad shape and they're on their way to Missoula now. I know Sage will gladly drive the four of you to the hospital if you're unsure you're stable enough to drive yourselves," she said and Sage nodded at that. "Kyle has a badly broken leg and some minor injuries, but because his injuries aren't severe he's on his way to the clinic here in Aspen Creek to get the leg set and in a cast. Kara suffered some injuries but she's healing and will be fine in a few hours." She turned her attention to the Simpsons and approached them. She took Tara's hands in her own before she spoke again. "Tara, Leon, I'm so sorry. Mia didn't make it," she said gently and there were tears in her eyes as she said it. "I know that no words can ever make the pain you're feeling right now go away, or lessen it, and they're small comfort for both of you, but we are here for you and we all grieve her loss."

While Tara Simpson collapsed into tears and Aria helped her into a chair, a howl of grief was torn from Leon's throat and echoed by the other wolves there. He was pack and he'd just lost his only child, his daughter, and they all felt his pain.

Robert Aston waved off the offer of someone driving them to the hospital in Missoula. "I can drive us. I think your pack member needs all of you more," he said and went to Leon. He gripped his shoulder a moment. "I am so sorry," he said and then he, his wife, and Sean's parents left.

The question in everyone's mind was 'What happened?' but they would have to wait until the others returned and Kara could be asked about it, before they'd have any answers.


	8. Chapter Eight

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Because of her injuries, Kara was taken directly to Bran's and Aria's home. There was a brief discussion on whether or not to push her into shifting because she would heal faster that way, after her arm was re-broken so it could heal right, but not even Bran was sure that was the best option because there were other concerns than just her injuries.

"She'll heal faster if you force her to change, Da," Samuel said. He'd already taken care of Kara's arm and for the moment she was resting. But she was still hurting, a lot.

Aria approached where her mate was discussing the different options with his sons. "We cannot do that, not yet," she said. "There are two boys at the hospital in Missoula, one of them is still fighting for his life, another is still being patched up here in Aspen Creek, and a pack member is having to plan the funeral for his **only** child. Everyone involved needs answers to what happened and it is extremely cruel and unfair to expect them to wait another day to get those answers," she added.

Bran looked at his mate. "Aria is right. All of the families deserve to know what happened. Only after we know will I help Kara to shift so she can heal."

Samuel wanted to argue but he knew both his Da and Aria were right. "Fine," he said, albeit a bit reluctantly. The doctor in him wanted to help his patient.

Bran returned to the room w here Kara lay resting with Aria at his side. Charles and Samuel followed him. Juliana sat on the bed holding Kara's hand, concern showing in her eyes, while Anna hovered nearby to keep the injured wolf calm.

Kara felt the presence of her Alpha and opened her eyes. They were still a bit glazed with pain but at least she was awake. And alive. She felt her eyes fill with tears as she thought about Mia.

"Kara, I know you're hurting, but I need you to tell me what happened last night after you and the others left the dance," Bran said.

Kara blinked several times to clear her vision before she replied. "There was a party after the dance. Kyle and I decided to just ride with Bobby, Sean, and Mia because it just made sense to take one car instead of two. We were going to get dropped back at the high school to pick Kyle's car up afterwards. About half an hour after we got there, Sean got a text about a party in Troy that was supposedly really great. I wasn't sure about going but I let myself get talked into it. Kyle and I were the only ones who wore our seat belts, mine messed up in the accident. I **told** them they should too but they didn't listen. We were laughing about some joke Bobby told when we realized the headlights coming at us were on our side of the road. Bobby laid on the horn but it wasn't enough. I think the driver of the truck that hit us was drunk, because he reacted so slowly. He swerved back onto his side of the road but... the back of his truck hit us. Bobby.. he lost control and we went over the edge," Kara whispered.

"Was there anything about the truck that hit you that would help us to find the person responsible?" Charles asked.

Kara knew trucks, it was her secret obsession, sort of. "It was a dark Ford F150, really dark green or black, not sure, but it had Frogger on the hood," she said, eyes closed.

"Frogger?" Charles asked, confused.

Cyrus, who'd come to see if they'd learned anything yet, heard the question and spoke from the doorway. "It's from a video game. It's this green frog that you have to get from one point to another, safely. The first level you have to get it across several lanes of highway without getting hit. Another level you have to get it across a river that has alligators swimming in it, by hopping across lily pads as they pass you."

"It was the lily pad on the hood that gave it away," Kara murmured. "Otherwise it would have just looked like a cartoon frog."

 _'Find that truck.'_ Charles heard his Da's voice in his head and nodded before he quietly slipped out to do so. He would find the owner and he would answer for his actions.

"That's good, Kara. You don't need to talk anymore. You need to shift so you can heal faster," Bran told her and put enough force behind the words that she had no choice but to obey.

Juliana moved off the bed because she knew touching would hurt her friend, and injured werewolves could be dangerous. "I'll go get some food for you, Kara," she said and left. She knew Kara would be taken to the safe room downstairs, since injured wolves could be a danger to others, and after shifting Kara was going to need plenty of protein to aid in the healing.

Kara's change was much slower than usual, because she was hurt and weak, but eventually she lay panting on the bed. When it was safe to be touched she felt herself being picked up and her Alpha's scent calmed the injured wolf.

"We'll get you into the safe room until you've healed. Aria will explain to your parents why you must remain here for the night," Bran told her as he carried her downstairs. After Juliana but a platter of meat in the room, as well as a large bowl of water, Bran carefully put Kara down on the bed and locked her in. "Go home with your mother, Juliana. Kara needs to rest and you sitting here worrying won't let her do that," he said gently to his granddaughter.

Juliana sighed softly. "I feel like it's partly my fault, but mama says if I'd gone to the party then Kara wouldn't have been with Sean, Bobby, and Mia, and all of them might have died before they were found, not just Mia."

"Your mother is right. It was Asil's ability to find lost pack members that allowed us to find them so soon," Bran told her. He pulled her into a hug. "The only one at fault for this tragedy is the human who couldn't be bothered with stopping after he caused the car to crash," he added.

Juliana returned the hug and sniffled a little. "Okay, grandpa. I guess you're right," she finally said. She turned to the reinforced door Kara was behind. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kara, after you've physically healed. And I'll go check on Kyle for you on the way home," she told her n, knowing Kara would worry about him.

********************A&O********************

Kara wasn't the only one who was worrying. Kyle was worrying as well, about **her**. He knew she was a werewolf, which meant she would heal faster, but she'd been so hurt. He couldn't help but worry about her. He was being held overnight at the clinic due to the concussion he had. After having his leg set he was given a mild pain killer for it, because anything stronger would make him sleepy which would make monitoring the concussion difficult, at best. As a result he couldn't get comfortable. Every time he shifted it sent pain through his leg. Needless to say, he was miserable. He laid there with his eyes closed and tried to move as little as possible. A soft knock on the door caught his attention. "Come in."

Juliana pushed the door open and smiled a little. "Hey Kyle. How are you feeling? I mean, besides the obvious."

"Like hell, but I'm alive. How's Kara doing?" he asked.

"She'll be fine by morning. Grandpa made her shift so she could heal faster. But I promised her I'd check on you before I went home. She really likes you, you know."

"I really like her too. I'm glad she's okay. I know... I know Mia died and Bobby and Sean are in bad shape, and I should feel bad I'm more worried about Kara, but I don't. Does that make me a bad friend?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Juliana replied. "You care about her, you can't help it. I'm gonna get out of here and let you get some rest. I'll let Kara know you're okay, and let her know you were worried about her," she said and left.

Kyle let himself rest after she was gone. He could now that he knew Kara was okay.

********************A&O********************

News of the accident traveled fast and by the time Juliana and Anna got home Cole was sitting in their driveway waiting for them. He couldn't help but wonder why Kara and Kyle had been with the other three, but even more so, he couldn't wonder what happened, or might have happened, between Jules and Ryan. He'd looked for them, discreetly, at the party, but they hadn't shown, not like Kara and Kyle had. He didn't want to think about what might have happened. It was irrational, he knew. First, Jules was **just** a friend, so it wasn't any of his business. Second, he'd seen her reaction when Ryan had kissed her. She hadn't looked happy about it. He doubted anything actually happened between them but his heart didn't want to listen to his head. Not that he had much room to talk given what happened between him and Kelly. He pushed that away for the moment. He wanted to be sure Kara was okay and he knew Jules would know if she was. Well, he also wanted to make sure Jules was okay.

"Hello, Cole," Anna said when she saw him. She had to tamp down the urge to growl at him because it wasn't his fault her daughter was hurting, or not entirely.

"Hi, Mrs. Cornick," Cole replied. He frowned a little because she seemed a bit less friendly than usual, but maybe it was the stress from the accident. "Hi, Jules," he added and gave his friend a slight smile.

Juliana approached him slowly. "Hey," she replied. Her nostrils flared a little and her heart broke just a little more. She could smell Kelly on him, and she wasn't stupid, she knew what that meant. They'd had sex.

"I heard about the accident, well, I mean, I guess everyone has, but is Kara okay?"

"She will be," Juliana replied. "She's pretty hurt but my grandpa made her shift and that'll help her to heal faster. She's the lucky one, but I guess Bobby, Sean, and Kyle are pretty lucky too. They're alive, and if Kara hadn't been with them they might not be, because papa, grandpa, and the others were able to find them faster because of the pack bonds." She bit her lip. She'd promised herself she wouldn't let his relationship get in the way of their friendship, now she needed to keep that promise. "Would you like to come in? Mama was getting ready to make dinner. Or do you have plans already?" she asked. "If you do, it's fine."

"No, I don't have plans," he replied. "That sounds good, as long as your mom doesn't mind. She seemed... I don't know, mad about something. Did I do something wrong without knowing it?" he asked.

"No," Juliana replied and was glad he was human or he would have known she was lying.

"Alright then," he said and called his mother to let her know he was staying for dinner before he followed her inside.

"Mama, Cole's staying for dinner, you don't mind, do you? He thinks you're mad at him for some reason," Juliana said, informing her mother she'd not hidden her emotions very well.

"Of course I don't mind. Oh, I'm not mad at anyone except the person ho caused the accident. I'm just worried about some pack members who are hurting," Anna said to put Cole at ease.

Juliana smelled the partial lie, but since she'd lied to him too, it was okay. "We'll be in my room," she said and went down the hall.

She'd rearranged the room since the last time he was there, and redecorated it. Gone was the purple and gray décor with it's canopy bed and night sky ceiling. The walls were seafoam green trimmed in cream. The bed now sported a cream colored headboard and foot board, and cream, gold, and dark green accents were scattered around the room. Even her dressers and desk were now in shades of green trimmed in cream.

Cole blinked when he stepped into the room. "Whoa, you changed... everything. Why the sudden change, Jules?" he asked.

Juliana shrugged. "Felt like it," she replied. Truthfully she'd had Thea help her redo the room because she'd secretly wondered if the reason Cole wasn't interested in her was because she seemed to cling to 'childish' things. Like the former night sky ceiling that was now a green so pale it was almost white.

"I thought the stars on the ceiling were cool, but it's your room," Cole said. He sat in one of the new additions to the room; a comfortable chair. "So... I looked for you at the party last night," he said after a moment.

Juliana bit back her first reaction because of him reeking of Kelly's scent and tipped her head at him. "Why did you look for me?"

"Because we're friends, it was a party, and you were with a guy you barely know. I was worried."

"I didn't go, and no, I didn't go anywhere else either," she said at the look on his face. "I'm not like that, for one thing, and for another Ryan was nice **and** a gentleman When I asked him to drive me home after the dance he had no problem with it," she added. "Do you really think I'm that stupid, that gullible, that I'd let myself get into a situation I didn't want? Or is it that you think I'm easy, I mean I was on the streets before I came here, so if some guy makes a move on me I'm going to put out?" she asked. She'd never once told either him or Kara that several girls at school had made that comment to her a few times. She knew Kara would want to hurt them and there wasn't much Cole could do about it.

Cole stared at her. "What? No. God, no, Jules, I don't think that. I **know** you aren't any of those things. Sometimes I forget you're a werewolf and you're more than capable of protecting yourself. I was **worried** he tried to take advantage of you." Then he frowned. "Wait a minute. Why would you think that **I** would think those things, Jules?" he asked. "Who has been saying those things to you?"

Juliana smiled a little. "Thanks for worrying, Cole. He didn't try to take advantage of me, he just brought me home. I'm sorry I snapped at you," she said then looked down. "It doesn't matter," she murmured.

"The hell it doesn't, Jules," he replied heatedly.

"Cole, it doesn't. You can't do anything about it because it was just some girls at school, and if Kara found out, she'd hurt them, badly, and that would get her in trouble with the Marrok. So it doesn't matter."

"Yeah, but since the Marrok is your grandfather..."

She shook her head. "He can't ignore the rules just because someone said something mean to his granddaughter and her friend got pissed about it. So, it doesn't matter."

"Okay, but if it keeps happening, or any of the guys start saying things like that, or harassing you, I want you to tell me, Jules, or I'll go tell your mom about all of this right now. And your dad, when I see him."

Juliana's eyes widened at that. "Okay, okay, I'll tell you, I promise." Her papa would be livid, best not to have him showing up at school growling at everyone.

"Good," Cole said with a grin. "So why did you snap?" he asked after a moment.

"I'm just worried about the others and upset about Mia. I mean, I didn't really know her well, but I know her dad, he's pack, and I can feel his pain through the pack bonds. It's unsettling and... it hurts. It makes me want to cry, how much he's hurting. She was their only child, and it's so hard for werewolves to even have children of their own, females can't, at all, Aunt Chloe is a special case, and now the only child he and his mate had is gone."

"It's okay Jules," Cole said softly. "Under the circumstances I'd probably be a bit grumpy too," he added and flashed her a grin reminiscent of the mischief maker he'd been when they first became friends.

Juliana laughed, she couldn't help it. The laugh broke the tension and before they knew it they were both sitting on the bed with her favorite board game, Monopoly, between them.

They were so caught up in their game Anna had to knock twice to get their attention. "Dinner's ready you two," she said. She liked seeing her daughter happy, even if it was a subdued version of her usual happiness.

"Oops, sorry mama," Juliana replied. They left the game where it was and went to eat.

"So, sweetheart, have you told Cole about your college plans?" Anna asked. She wanted to see his reaction to the thought of Juliana going across country for school.

"Um, no," she replied with a faint blush.

"You've already decided on college?" Cole asked.

"Yeah. The School of Architecture and Design at New York institute of Technology."

Cole stared at her. "Did you say New York?" he asked. "Why do you want to go all the way to New York? I mean, there have to be good architecture schools closer to Montana, right? What about California?"

Juliana frowned a bit. "The School of Architecture and Design at NYIT has one of the best programs in the country. They've earned a number of awards, and I already have an architecture firm I can do my internship with," she told him.

"Yeah, but Jules, that's like... over two thousand miles away. Are you sure you want to be that far from home? From your family? Won't you miss everyone?" he asked.

"California isn't much closer, Cole, not where I'd want to go anyway. Of course I'll miss everyone, but if I can get in it would be foolish to pass up the opportunity. And I'm not staying forever, just until graduation. I've thought about it a lot, so yeah, I'm sure it's what I want to do."

Anna watched Cole, but more importantly she **smelled** him. The thought of Juliana going so far away for college upset him, a lot. The boy needed to make up his mind because her daughter deserved to be happy and he wasn't letting that happen with the way he seemed to not know what **he** wanted.

Cole nodded after a moment. "Guess I'll have to get a good job to be able to visit," he said with a laugh. "And at least that's still two years away." Yeah, her leaving to go to New York for college bothered him, but it was her choice and he'd be a shitty friend if he wasn't happy for her.

"That's the spirit," Anna said. "How do you think I feel?" she added. "And her papa is likely to go into a panic over it," she joked.

Juliana laughed. "True, papa isn't going to like it one bit. Which is why I'm waiting until we go camping to tell him. That way he can take his frustration out on the trees and rocks instead of pacing his office growling over it."

Anna laughed at her daughter's comment then turned to Cole. "What about you Cole? Your junior year is almost over, have you thought about what you want to do after graduation next year?"

"I want to be a teacher," Cole replied. "I know, shocking, the jock wants to teach and not be a professional jock like most do," he said. "But I've been thinking about it a lot, lately, and I don't want to play sports all my life. If I can go to school on a football scholarship, great, but if not there are always other scholarships and loans. Either way, I want to be a teacher."

"I think that's an admirable profession to aspire to," Anna said. "We need teachers who are dedicated to their career, and their students, and I think you'd be a really good teacher, Cole," she added with a warm smile.

"Glad someone does. My folks, my dad especially, think I should try to go pro-football because I'm so good at it."

"They'll come around Cole, I'm sure of it," Anna said to him.

"Maybe," he replied. "Anyway, did you say earlier that someone **caused** the crash that Kara and the others were in?" he asked, suddenly remembering Anna's earlier comment.

"I did. Kara was able to give a description of the truck," Anna told him. "It was weird too because I almost feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

"What makes you think that?" Cole asked curiously.

"Kara said it was a dark colored Ford F150 with Frogger, from the video game, on it's hood."

Cole was taking a drink of water and choked on it because what Anna said startled him. "Did you say Frogger?" he asked. "Was it on a lily pad?"

"You know who owns it, don't you?" Anna asked.

"I know the truck, yeah," he replied. "It belongs to one of Ronnie's buddies, or it did when he moved down to Libby. I don't know if it still does, though."

"Do you know the friend's name?" Anna asked.

"Yeah, it was Dustin Broyles."

"Thank you Cole. That will make it a lot easier to see that Mia's parents get justice for the death of their only child," Anna told him and left the dining room so she could call Bran to fill him in, who would in turn fill Charles in.

After dinner Cole and Juliana finished their game and then he headed home. Juliana stripped her bedding and carried it to the laundry room in the basement. "It smells like **her** ," she said at the look her mother gave her. She put clean sheets on her bed, wrote in the journal she'd started keeping, then went to bed.

********************A&O********************

By morning Kara was healed. As soon as she was able she went first to see Jules and then to see Kyle She sat with him all that day until he was finally released to go home. She walked beside the wheelchair he had to ride in out to the car and held his hand.

"I'm glad you came to sit with me, Kara," Kyle said. They were waiting for his father to bring the car around.

"I'd have been here last night if I was able to be," she replied. "They're gonna find that jerk who ran us off the road and he's going to go to jail for killing Mia," she told him.

"How are they going to do that?" he asked.

"Because I got a good look at the truck in the headlights and was able to describe it. They'll find him, Kyle."

"Good. Her parents deserve justice. What about Bobby and Sean? Any news?"

Kara shook her head. "Not yet." When the car stopped in front of them Kara kissed his cheek and watched him go.

********************A&O********************

Bobby was allowed to go home the following day but it would be over a week before Sean, who'd sustained the worst injuries of the four who survived, was released from the hospital. His spine was damaged, beyond repair, and he would never walk again as a result. Mia's parents opted to wait to bury her until he was able to be there because they knew he'd loved their daughter.

In the week and a half that passed between the day of the accident and Sean's release from the hospital, Charles tracked down Dustin Broyles in Libby. He'd put the word out to every repair shop within an hundred miles of Aspen Creek to be on the look out for the Ford and he'd arrived at the shop in Libby where Dustin's truck waited for repairs. When he'd shown up to find out why it was taking so long, Charles put the fear of god into him and he came forward to turn himself in for Mia's death.

********************A&O********************

The morning of Mia's funeral was cloudy and gray. The small church was filled to overflowing but even with so many people present, the soft crying coming from Tara Simpson as she sat there clinging to her husband could still be heard. The service began, sad as such things always were, and after her parents had spoken about how much they loved her and would miss her, one by one many of Mia's classmates got up to speak. Kara talked about Mia's funny sense of humor and her love for the stage before her voice broke and she went back to where she sat next to Juliana.

There was almost complete silence when Sean, with his father's help, moved up the aisle in the wheelchair he would have to use the rest of his life. Tag and Charles moved to lift the chair up onto the raised platform so Sean could say goodbye to Mia before he turned to look out at everyone. "Mia was one of the best, most loving people you could ever meet. She never had an unkind word for anyone, no matter what they said or did. She always looked for the good in others. She wanted to be an actress, on Broadway, you know? She had this dream of going to New York, to Columbia University or Juilliard, and then spending her entire adult life on stage. All those dreams... taken away by someone who didn't care that he'd run someone off the road." He looked back at the coffin. "I'm going to miss you, baby, for the rest of my life," he said in a voice thick with tears before he motioned that he was done. Tag and Charles picked the chair up and set it back on the floor for him then returned to their seats. Silent tears slipped down Sean's cheeks as he moved toward the back of the church.

The service ended and Mia's parents stood next to Sean and his parents to quietly thank people for coming. Bran approached them and stopped in front of Sean's parents. "If you need anything, any assistance at all, especially where your son's medical expenses are concerned, say the word and it's yours," he told them.

"Thank you, Marrok," Carl Brown replied.

Bran nodded and after Aria spoke a few soft words to Mia's parents she turned to Sean. "You are a brave young man, and I know wherever Mia is, she is weeping for the pain you are in. The loss of someone so close touches your soul, leaves its mark even years later. But, in time, it will heal and one day, years from now, you will be able to look back on the wonder that she was and smile. Have faith in that," she told him and let her mate lead her away. Some adults might have been patronizing about his feelings because of his age, but not Aria.

********************A&O********************

Later that day Kara and Juliana sat on Kara's bed talking about the funeral. "When Sean started talking about Mia, gods, I wanted to cry," Kara said. "He really did love her."

"I know, it hurt to hear," Juliana agreed. "I can't imagine what he's going through."

"He's blaming himself," Kara said softly. At Juliana's puzzled look she sighed. "He was the one who got the text about the party in Troy and talked all of us into bouncing so we could go there instead. I know he's got to be thinking about that and blaming himself. And poor Bobby, he was the one driving. It's got to be eating them both up. I know if it was me it would be anyway." Then her eyes darkened. "But the only one to blame is that sorry fucker, Dustin. I remember him, he was one of the jerks egging Ronnie on that time, when you first came here, and he was always such a cocky little prick," she growled.

Juliana's eyes widened a little. "I remember him now. If he'd just stopped... I hope he suffers, a lot, in prison," she said in a rare moment of anger.

Kara giggled. "I think this is the first time I have **ever** seen you get angry, Jules." She glanced at the clock and wrinkled her nose. "You should probably get home so you can rest up for your delayed camping trip," she added.

"Yeah. Wish me luck. I don't know how papa is going to take the news that I want to go so far away for college."

"Good luck girl, you're gonna need it," Kara said with a nod and watched her friend go.

********************A&O********************

The next morning while Juliana ate breakfast Charles loaded the truck up with their supplies. Then he kissed his mate goodbye and once Juliana joined him in the truck he headed up into the mountains.

An hour later Charles parked the truck a mile from their actual campsite and they continued deeper into the Montana wilderness on foot. A companionable silence surrounded them and continued until they got their campsite set up. "How about a run?" Charles said and waited for his daughter to shift before they loped away to enjoy the mountain air. They caught several rabbits, which sated their hunger, then continued their run until it was almost dark.

While Juliana went into her tent to shift back to human form, Charles got the fire going. He got their dinner fixed; freeze dried meals that only required hot water for them to be edible, and then he took out several packages and laid them down behind him where she wouldn't see them. The last thing he did was shave the bark off the last few inches of two long branches and set them down out of sight as well.

"So, what do I get to eat tonight?" Juliana asked as she sat down near him.

"You get the beef stew, I'll take the chicken and rice." He knew his daughter didn't care for the latter of the two.

"Thanks papa," she said and dug in. "I forgot how much I liked doing this," she said after a moment. She'd not been riding much lately either. Maybe she needed to change that as well.

"You've been busy with school and things, Jules. I forgive you." He watched her as he reached behind him and brought the items he'd hidden from her into view.

Juliana saw the sticks first and didn't understand until he picked up a bag of marshmallows. "S'mores!" she squealed then laughed.

Charles chuckled and indulged his daughter in one of her favorite camping rituals; making and eating s'mores.

It wasn't until she'd crawled into her tent and was in her sleeping bag that she realized she hadn't told him about wanting to go to college in New York. 'I'll tell him tomorrow,' she thought and let her eyes drift closed.

********************A&O********************

Charles knew something was weighing on his daughter's mind, but with all the emotional upheavals the last few weeks, he'd wanted this first day of camping to be about fun. So he'd deliberately kept her distracted until she was exhausted. Now he lay in the dark listening to her even breathing as she slept and he knew come morning she wouldn't let herself be so distracted again.

********************A&O********************

Juliana awoke to sunlight filtering into her tent. She stretched a bit to ease the stiffness in her body from sleeping on the hard ground with nothing but a piece of canvas and a sleeping bag between her and it, before she dressed for the day and crawled out. She could smell breakfast on the fire. It might just be powdered eggs but it still smelled good. "Good morning, papa."

"Good morning little wolf," Charles replied. "How did you sleep?" he asked as he plated the eggs he'd seasoned with wild herbs. He'd found a patch of blackberries and picked and washed some of them for their breakfast too.

"Really good," Juliana admitted. She ate her breakfast, face turned up to the sun to enjoy it's warmth. "Papa? I need to talk to you," she said after several minutes.

"I know. Something is weighing heavily on your mind," Charles said. "I'm listening, little wolf."

Juliana chewed on her bottom lip a moment before she sat up straighter and looked at him. "I want to be an architect, when I graduate. And... I want to go to the School of Architecture and Design at New York Institute of Technology."

Charles stared at his daughter. "Did you say New York? As in New York City?"

Juliana nodded. "I know it's a long way from home papa, and I know you don't like the idea of me being so far away, but they have one of the best programs in the country and... Cyrus and Thea both said their father will let me do my internship with his company. Please don't say no, papa," she said. His continued silence scared her.

Charles sat there with Brother wolf snarling in his head. Brother Wolf thought she was way too young to let her go so far away. How could they keep her safe? "Is this what you really want, Jules?" he asked calmly.

"It is, papa. I've been thinking about it for a while now and I wouldn't be gone forever, just for school, and just until I graduate," she promised.

"Alright," Charles said and ignored Brother Wolf's enraged snarl. "But you will not join the pack in the Bronx. It's not a safe area. There is a smaller pack that recently relocated to Manhattan, and I trust the Alpha to look out for you. You will join them for the duration of your time in New York."

Juliana squealed and launched herself at him. "Thank you papa! I was so afraid you'd tell me no," she admitted.

"If Brother Wolf had his way, I would have. But this is important to you, I'm not going to hold back your dreams," he replied.

The remainder of their camping trip was tension free and when they got back home Anna didn't even get to ask 'How did it go?' because Juliana rushed into the house and crowed "He said yes!" When the time came it was going to be hard, on all of them, but they would deal with that when they had to and not any sooner.


	9. Chapter Nine

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

The last week of school, before summer began, found Charles and Anna sitting in the guidance counselor's office with Juliana seated between them. They'd been called in for a conference and Anna was working hard to stay calm so she could keep her mate calm.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cornick, thank you for coming in to see me," Brody Campbell said.

"Is something wrong?" Anna asked.

"No, not at all. I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. I wanted to talk to you about a special program for students like Juliana."

Anna saw her mate tense but it was Juliana who leaned against his arm to help him keep his cool.

"What do you mean 'students like Juliana'?" Charles asked and forced down the growl that threatened.

"You're daughter is a very bright young woman, Mr. Cornick. I know she is going to be a junior next year but I believe that, if she studied some over the summer, she could test out of her junior year and go into her senior year to graduate a year early."

Anna blinked at him. "I didn't know there was such a thing."

"It's been around for a few years but it's only recently gained in popularity. Educators are trying to find ways to help those students who excel like Juliana does. When a child doesn't feel challenged it can cause any number of negative actions, including a lack of interest. It's entirely Juliana's choice and she doesn't have to decide anything right now. I'd like her to think about it first."

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Campbell. We'll definitely talk about this as a family," Anna assured him.

"Alright. If Juliana does decide to do it, we can take care of the testing the week before school starts. And, in case she does," he said and went to the table off to the side of his office and picked up several books, "these will help her to prepare," he added.

The Cornicks left, taking the books with them. Juliana was stunned. "I could graduate with my friends," she said and her face lit up with a grin.

"Yes you could, honey," Anna told her.

Charles, who'd been silent throughout most of the conversation, finally spoke. "I'm so very proud of you, little one. I knew you were smart, it's about time someone else acknowledged it."

Juliana grinned then laughed. "Thanks papa."

********************A&O********************

Juliana couldn't wait to share the news with her two best friends. The problem was, they were both busy. Cole was off with Kelly and the rest of the football team and cheerleader squad and Kara was with Kyle. His cast was finally getting to come off and Kara wanted to be there for him.

Juliana sighed softly and flopped onto her bed. She was happy for her friends but she was also a little lonely. She wasn't close to any of the other kids at school. She and Ryan still talked but they didn't have the same closeness she had with Kara and Cole.

Laying there wallowing because her friends were busy was silly. She hopped up, changed into jeans and a t-shirt, tugged on her boots, and headed for the back door. "I'm gonna go for a ride," she said and went to the paddock where her horse, Silver Whispers, came to her whistle. She saddled him up and headed out into the nearby mountains. This was one of the many things she was going to miss when she went off to college.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was enjoying the warmth of the sun on her upturned face when her attention was suddenly brought back to her surroundings. Her horse started shifting nervously and then he reared. Now, Juliana was quite the rider, her papa had seen to that, it wasn't easy to dislodge her from her seat, but when Silver Whispers suddenly jerked and bucked, she was thrown from the saddle. She tried to turn to keep from getting hurt but she wasn't successful. Her right arm snapped and she screamed. She would have been fine with that but she'd been thrown close to the edge and when she went to get up, the pain in her arm made her stumble and she fell back. Another scream was torn from her as she tumbled down the side of the cliff. She felt two more bones break before she came to a stop, her head slammed against a boulder, and darkness ate at her vision.

********************A&O********************

Anna glanced at the clock. As soon as they'd gotten back from the meeting with the guidance counselor at school Charles had headed into Troy with Tag to get some supplies they needed to replace the shingles on a pack member's roof. He'd called to let her know he'd be heading home soon so she could get dinner cooked. But Juliana was still out. She'd been gone for two hours and that wasn't like her. Maybe she'd gone to see Kara or Cole and forgot to call. **That** would be something her daughter might do. Anna tried to not worry as she called first Kara, and then Cole. Neither of them had seen her daughter and when Anna tried calling Juliana's phone it went right to voice mail. Scared now, she called the only other person she could think of; her father-in-law.

********************A&O********************

Aria was finishing up dinner when the phone rang. "Hello, Anna, how are things this evening?" she asked cheerily.

"Hi, Aria. Is Jules there, by any chance?" Anna asked.

Aria frowned at the worry in her friend's voice. "No, we haven't seen her," she replied.

Anna's fear spiked at that "I need to talk to Bran."

The werewolf in question was just leaving his study and overheard her comment. "What's happened?" he asked as soon as his mate handed him the phone.

"Jules is missing. She left two hours ago to go for a ride and when I realized how late it was getting I thought maybe she'd gone to see Kara or Cole, but neither of them have seen her and her phone goes right to voice mail."

Bran growled. "Where's Charles?" If his son was already looking for her it would make things go faster.

"He and Tag are on their way back from Troy. They had to go get the stuff to fix Marty's roof tomorrow," Anna replied.

"Don't panic, we'll find her. I'm on my way now," Bran told her and hung up. He kissed his mate, then hugged their daughter, and headed over to Charles and Anna's home. _'Charles, you are needed at home,_ _ **now**_ _.'_ He knew his son would grasp the urgency in his voice. Then he sent a second message. _'Samuel, your niece has gone missing. Come to Charles and Anna's, we'll start the search there.'_ After a brief moment of thought he also sent for Asil and Cyrus to help with the search. He knew Thea and Sage would stay with Anna until Juliana was found and returned home.

********************A&O********************

Juliana awoke feeling sore all over. It took her a few moments to get her bearings and remember **why** she was hurting so much. Evening was descending and that meant that there, in the mountains, shadows were already growing. She looked up from the ledge she lay on and groaned. She'd fallen a good fifteen or twenty feet. The distance wouldn't have been such a big deal if she'd not broken anything. As a submissive wolf, without her Alpha nearby to help, she wasn't healing as fast as a more dominant wolf would have. Her head throbbed and when she touched where it hurt her fingers came away sticky with blood. The sight made her whimper.

Juliana tried to stand and fell back to the hard ground. Her right leg, which had broken twice in the fall, hurt too much to support her weight. Her cellphone wasn't in her pocket anymore and when she found it she sobbed, just a little. It was cracked so badly it wouldn't even turn on anymore. She had no idea how long she'd been unconscious but she was getting scared. She knew her parents would start to worry but how would they find her? Then she remembered Asil. They'd have him help. The only thing she could do was wait and hope they got there soon.

********************A&O********************

When his Da's voice slid into his mind Charles tensed and there was a spike of fear. It was an odd feeling for the Marrok's enforcer. "Change of plans," he said to Tag as he veered away from their destination. "Something's happened," he added and floored it to get home to his mate and daughter. By the time he roared into his driveway and threw his truck into park there were four vehicles in the cul-de-sac. One of them was his Da's Humvee. It was bad if his Da had to call both Asil and Samuel.

********************A&O********************

As soon as she'd started to worry something was wrong Anna had shut down her side of their mate bond. It had taken a lot of practice to perfect it, but she was glad she'd learned because Charles might have gotten hurt in his rush to get home to her before. With him home now, though, she didn't have to hold so tightly to her control, and she knew he felt her fear.

"Da, what is it? What's wrong?" Charles said as he entered the house. Then Anna's fear hit him. "Jules. What's happened to her?" he asked in a growl and Brother Wolf rose to the surface.

"Calm your wolf, Charles. We're not sure what's happened. All I know for sure is she is in distress. I'm shielding the rest of the pack from it, she's our youngest pack member, and our most submissive, it would throw some of our less stable wolves into a frenzy of worry they do not need," Bran said to his son. "Asil has given us a heading for her. We were just waiting for you to get home before we headed out. We'll find her son, don't worry," he added.

Anna went to her mate and hugged him. "Bring our daughter home," she whispered.

Charles nodded, hugged her tight, and then he changed so he could move fast if he needed to.

Anna watched them go and then she started to pace. She knew Juliana was alive but something had to have happened to her. She wouldn't worry her parents by not coming home or at least calling to let them know where she was, and Bran said Jules was 'in distress' which meant it was something **bad**.

"Anna, you need to quit pacing, you're gonna wear yourself out, girl," Sage said gently.

"I can't help it Sage. I should be with them. If she's hurt I can help calm her down."

"You have to be calm yourself to be able to do that," Sage pointed out. "And you'd be too worried to be able to stay calm."

Anna sighed and finally sat down. "I hate this! Jules is out there, somewhere, probably hurt, and there's nothing I can do about it but sit here and wait!"

To that there was nothing Sage or Thea could say.

********************A&O********************

Bran heard it first. The soft whinny of a horse. It was so faint he was surprised he'd even heard it. But he veered in that direction and the others followed, without question.

Soon Bran wasn't the only one who could hear the horse and when Charles heard it he took off in it's direction. He stopped just far enough away to not scare the horse and shifted back to human form. "Easy boy," he said as he approached his daughter's horse. The gelding was favoring his right foreleg, which suggested he'd hurt it somehow. But that wasn't Charles' concern at the moment. "Juliana!" He called out for his daughter and hoped she was close enough to hear him.

********************A&O********************

Juliana lay there as the sun slipped behind the mountains and prayed to the spirits. 'Please let papa and grandpa find me soon'. She wasn't sure how much time had passed since Bran's voice had slid through her mind telling her they were looking for her. Her eyes snapped open when she heard her father's voice. He sounded like he was right above her. "I'm here papa! I'm down here," she called up to where she believed he stood.

********************A&O********************

Charles let out a sob of relief when he heard his daughter's voice. He moved to the edge and looked down. It wasn't terribly far to where she lay but enough that they would need rope to get to her. He was glad his da had thought about that because otherwise someone would have had to be sent back for some. "It's okay Jules, we'll get you up off that ledge," he said and tried to keep Brother Wolf calm until the others arrived.

Minutes later the others were there and they got to work making a makeshift harness that could be used to help get Juliana back up. Charles stepped forward to go down and get his daughter but Bran put a hand on his arm. "Let me go, son. I'm smaller so I'm a little lighter as a result. It'll be easier to pull Juliana and I up than it would be to bring you and her up."

Charles wanted to argue but he knew his da was right. Still, it took more control than was pretty to stand there and help lower his da down when **he** wanted to be the one going to get his daughter.

********************A&O********************

Juliana watched as her grandfather descended to the ledge she lay on. "Hi grandpa," she said meekly when he finally reached her.

Bran kissed her forehead before he spoke. "No more riding alone. Maybe no more riding, period," he said. "Don't worry, I'm not angry, just worried," he assured her at the fear he smelled coming from her. He got the makeshift harness around her and then they were being lifted.

Juliana whimpered as her injuries were jarred on the way up. She hated being so weak but she knew her grandfather wouldn't think less of her for it.

As soon as they were up Charles took his daughter in his arms, which made her whimper softly in pain.

"Charles, I need you to put her down so I can check her injuries," Samuel said. For several heartbeats he thought his brother was going to ignore him. And then Charles set her down and moved back enough to give him room. He was quick and efficient then he leaned back to look at his niece before shifting his gaze to his brother. "The worst seems to be the broken arm and leg. She's got a knot on the back of her head, but there is no indication of hemorrhaging or I'd see it in her eyes. The problem is, although the broken bones are mostly healed, they've healed wrong;, so I will have to break them in order to reset them properly."

Juliana whimpered at the pain that was going to cause.

"I know little wolf. If there was any other way, I would take it. But there isn't," Samuel said gently. "Charles, get her shoulders. Da, Tag, help hold the rest of her still," he added, and once everyone was in place Samuel took care of her arm.

Juliana cried out and tears sprang to her eyes. It hurt more than it did the first time around. And then her uncle moved to her leg. She sat there shaking her head no but there was no other option. The pain that enveloped her when he broke her leg made her scream and she passed out. As soon as the bones were set and the limbs splinted they headed home.

********************A&O********************

Anna tried to calm down. She sat and tried to not drive herself crazy with worry. It didn't do any good. She ended up tapping her foot so hard her body shook from the force of it So she got up and started pacing again.

 _'We've found her. We're on our way home now.'_ Anna slumped when Bran's voice slid into her mind. "They found her," she said and she finally let a few tears fall as she buried her face in her hands.

"Thank the gods," Sage and Thea said almost in unison. They waited with her until the search party finally returned.

********************A&O********************

Charles carried his daughter into the house and at the sound his mate made he turned his attention to her. "She's okay. She fell off the path onto a ledge and Samuel had to reset some broken bones. We're going to let her rest a bit then da will force her into wolf to heal faster."

Anna moved forward as Juliana opened her eyes.

"Hi mama," Juliana said meekly.

"Hi baby. You had us really worried. I know it wasn't your fault," she said when she saw the look in her daughter's eyes. "We will always worry about you, sweetheart, because you're our daughter and we love you."

"I know mama. I love you and papa too," Juliana said.

Anna kissed her forehead and let Charles take her to her room to rest. "What happened?" she asked Bran, who was still there. The others had already left.

"I believe something startled her horse so badly it not only threw Juliana from the saddle, it also caused injury to the horse as well. He's favoring his right foreleg. Cyrus took him to the stables and I've already sent for the vet to have him looked at." He studied his daughter-in-law. "She'll be fine in a few hours."

"But she could have been seriously hurt, even killed. I don't want her riding by herself anymore," Anna said.

"She won't. Even if da hadn't made it clear to her she isn't allowed to go alone anymore, I would have," Charles said as he came back to the living room.

"Good." Anna shuddered then sighed. "I'll go make more food. She'll need it to help her heal."

********************A&O********************

An hour later Juliana undressed, carefully, then stood and waited for the pain she knew was to come. The shift hurt anyway, but being forced into it hurt worse. When her grandfather forced her into wolf form she whimpered and it turned into a whine, then a soft howl of pain. But the forced shift would do it's job. It would help her body to heal, and within hours she would be fine again. A bit sad about not getting to go riding alone anymore, but fine.


	10. Chapter Ten

**A/N:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Summer seemed to fly by as Juliana prepared for the testing that would allow her to graduate early. Both Kara and Cole agreed completely with Bran's decree that she not go riding alone again and while it frustrated her it also made her happy to know they all cared so much. A week before school started she took the fast-track testing and found herself enrolled as a senior.

Going through senior year with her best friends was amazing. She finally came to terms with the fact Cole was dating Kelly and it no longer hurt so much to see them together. Her wolf still whined when they caught Kelly's scent on him but Jules accepted it. What choice did she have?

The biggest question was, what to do for senior prom? Kara and Kyle were going together, Cole and Kelly were going tpgether, and Juliana was still single. As it turned out, she didn't have to go alone. She and Ryan had become good friends over the last year and he'd confided in her that he liked both boys and girls. Unfortunately, his current crush was already taken so the two of them opted to go together to keep each other company. There was a lot of playful teasing about their friends and their dates 'mooning' over each other. All in all, though, her last year of high school ended on a high note.

********************A&O********************

Juliana stared at herself in the mirror. In just a few hours she would be a high school graduate. In just a few weeks she would endure the pain of the banishment ceremony that would sever her ties to the Marrok in order for her to join the Manhattan Pack and start college. She was both excited and scared. New York was a long way away from home. Here, if she had a problem, she had several people she could turn to for help. Out in New York she didn't know a single person.

Anna smelled her daughter's fear and went to her. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked and hugged her.

"I'm scared mama. This **is** what I want, going to New York for school, but.. I don't know anyone out there. What if I need help? What if something is wrong, I need someone, and there's no one to call?"

Anna's arm's tightened around her. "Your papa and I are just a phone call away and your new Alpha will **always** be there too. Your papa and grandpa wouldn't send you to a pack, to an Alpha, they didn't trust to keep you safe."

Juliana leaned into her mother. "I know mama, I just..."

"Going off to college can be scary for anyone, honey," Anna said gently. "It's going to be okay, you'll see." She kissed her forehead then smiled. "Besides, you **do** know **some** people in New York; Thea's sisters Petrina and Kalika." They'd visited Thea and Cyrus several times over the last three years and although they were older than Juliana by several years, both girls had decided to pseudo-adopt her while she was so far from home.

Juliana smiled a little. "Oh. Yeah. I didn't think about them. Maybe it won't be so bad after all."

"That's the spirit. Come on, let's go get your papa before he walks a hole in the living room floor," Anna said just to make her daughter laugh.

It worked too. Juliana laughed, gave her mother one last hug, then followed her out of the bedroom.

"There you are, little one. You've gone and grown up on me," Charles said when she came out wearing her graduation gown over her clothes.

"I'm sorry I grew up on you, papa, but I'll always be your little one," Jules replied.

Charles hugged his daughter and didn't want to let go. He wasn't sure who was going to have the harder time dealing with her banishment ceremony, him or his daughter. "Yes you will," he growled and finally let go.

Juliana wiped tears from her eyes as she climbed into her father's truck. Whatever life threw at her she knew she would always have the support of her family. She was puzzled when Charles drove them over to Bran's instead of going to the school. "What's going on papa?"

"We have something for you... a graduation gift," Charles replied. He drove past the house to the small, private family cemetery not far from his father's home.

Juliana was confused as she got out of the truck and followed her parents to where her grandfather and uncle waited.

"It took a lot of digging, but last week we found where your parents were buried and had their bodies moved. To here," Charles told her.

Juliana stared at the newly erected headstones. She'd wondered about them, wondered what had happened to them, and now they were here. A sob escaped her and when her papa's arms wrapped around her she started to cry. "Thank you, papa," she whispered.

Anna moved to them and wrapped her arms around her daughter from behind and she and Charles held her as she cried. Soon Bran and Samuel were there as well, their energy helping to soothe her.

When her tears finally stopped Juliana gave them a watery smile. "I was so afraid they'd been cremated and their ashes thrown away," she said and moved out of their embrace. She went to the headstones, kissed the tips of her fingers, and then pressed her fingers to the granite. "May your spirits soar on the wings of eagles and may your path be guided by light," she said softly then followed her parents back to the truck. She was quiet on the drive to the school and while her family went to find seats in the auditorium she headed to the backstage area where the rest of the senior class was already gathered.

********************A&O********************

"There you are! I was beginning to think you were going to skip graduation," Kara said when Juliana finally arrived. When she realized her friend had been crying she frowned. "Jules? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Papa found them, my parents. He found their bodies and had them moved here. They're in the family cemetery on grandpa's property. I just... seeing their graves, it made all that worry go away and I cried. I finally got to say goodbye to them."

Kara went to her and hugged her. "I'm glad he was able to find them for you. So it was happy tears you cried. I was worried there for a minute." She saw Cole approaching and waved at him.

"You okay, Jules?" he asked and when she told him why she'd been crying he hugged her too. "That's great. I know it was hard on you, not knowing what happened to them."

"It was." Juliana smiled a little and changed the subject. "I can't believe we'll be walking across the stage to get our diplomas soon."

"I know, it's crazy," Cole said. "But I'm glad we're all getting to do it together," he added. "Just wish you weren't going so far away for school."

Kara groaned. "Don't remind me. You'd think it would be one of us being the adventurous one, but nope, it's Jules who is," she said with a cheeky grin.

Juliana laughed. "I don't know if I'd call it adventurous. Scary is more like it, but I can do this. I need to prove that to myself."

"Yeah, you can do it. You're stronger than you think you are, Jules," Cole told her.

Juliana smiled a little. "Thank you."

Soon they were seated on one side of the stage. As each name was called the students walked across the stage, posed for as photo, then took their diploma and went to stand on the other side. Kara was a few seats ahead of Juliana so when it was Juliana's turn she flashed her best friend a thumb's up.

Anna gripped her husband's hand as their daughter made her way across the stage. "She's so grown up," she whispered and there was pride in her voice. For her and Charles, it didn't matter that Juliana wasn't theirs by birth, or that she'd only been part of their lives for a few years, Juliana was **theirs** and they couldn't be more proud of the young woman she was becoming.

When it was all over the family went back to Bran's to celebrate. There was music, lots of food, and several graduation gifts including a car from Bran. "It'll be shipped to New York for you. It has 4-wheel drive and all the security measures money can buy," he told her.

"Thank you, grandpa, I love it," Juliana said and gave him a tight hug.

"You might be leaving the pack for the duration of your time in New York, but you aren't leaving the family, pup. I'm so proud of you," he told her.

Again Juliana had tears in her eyes. His words touched her deeply. "Thank you, grandpa," she said after a moment.

"Well, little wolf, you just had to go and grow up on us, didn't you?" Samuel teased. "You are going to do great things with your life, Jules. Don't you ever let anyone make you doubt yourself, you hear?"

"I won't Uncle Samuel. I might be growing up, but I'll still be little wolf, won't I?" she asked.

"Always," he assured her.

********************A&O********************

Three weeks after graduation Juliana was packing the last box she would be taking with her to New York. She'd been startled when Thea's sister, Kalika, offered her the use of her spare bedroom so that Jules was staying with someone she knew. She'd accepted the offer, at least until she was comfortable with her new pack. If there was a pack member she'd feel safe staying with then she would move.

"That's the last box, now let's go," Kara said and grabbed Juliana's arm. "This is your last day here for months, we are **going** to have fun," she told her. She and Cole were taking Jules into Troy to spend the rest of the day together. "Cole and I are not going to let you mope around the house. Yeah, we don't **want** yo to go to New York, but since this is about what you want, we're dealing with it. That doesn't mean we can't have fun today."

Jules smiled a little. "You're right, I would have moped. I'm scared about going but... I can do this."

"Of course you can, Jules. Besides, it's not like you'll be gone forever and I **will** be coming to visit you. We **have** to go see something on Broadway."

That made Juliana laugh. "That would be great."

Cole was waiting for them and he opened the passenger side doors for them when they reached his car. "Ladies, your chariot awaits," he said with a cheeky grin.

Kara rolled her eyes at him and slid into the backseat to give Jules the front. Maybe once Juliana was off to New York she'd sit Cole down and have a long talk with him. She'd said nothing about Juliana's feelings for him all this time because she didn't want to upset her best friend, but with Juliana gone, she could talk to him and not have to worry about Jules feeling awkward around him.

Their first stop was the movies, since it was mid afternoon. They decided on a comedy because they needed something fun to distract themselves and by the time the movie was over their sides ached from laughing so much. Then it was dinner at Olive Garden, paid for by Cole who insisted on it. Their last stop was a dance club that was for teens and young adults between the ages of 16 and 21. A 'teen club' meant there was no alcohol so it was a night of fun without that added risk. The music was so loud that it hurt Kara's and Juliana's ears, at first, but soon they adjusted. Kara had a few tense moments with the crowd of people but Juliana's presence calmed her wolf enough for the trio to enjoy themselves.

It was a little after midnight when Juliana slipped into the house. She wasn't surprised to find her papa waiting up for her.

"Did you have fun?" Charles asked. He didn't sense any distress from her so he was sure all was well but he still felt the need to ask. Just to be safe.

"I did. It was nice spending time with just them," Juliana replied. She sat on the sofa next to him. "How bad is it going to hurt when grandpa does the banishment ceremony tomorrow.. or really, later today?" she asked softly.

Charles tucked his daughter close to him and held her. "I don't know little one. I've never been through it but your mama has. I know it was rough on her but she was already in a bad place so that might have affected it."

Juliana sighed softly. "I guess I won't really know until it happens."

"Not really, no," he replied. "You need to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a long day for you."

"I know. Goodnight papa," she replied and after a quick shower she crawled into bed.

Charles stayed up for several hours trying to come to terms with the fact his pup was leaving to live 2,500 miles away in order to go to school.

********************A&O********************

Later that morning Juliana stood surrounded by many of the pack and she closed her eyes to savor the feel of connection before it was severed. Quite a few approached and hugged her, wished her luck, and even kissed her forehead as if she were still a young child. To many of them she was. She had to keep blinking to clear her vision from the tears that threatened.

Finally it was time and Bran stepped forward, kissed his granddaughter's forehead, then said the words that would remove her from the pack. "That which was bound by Alpha's flesh and Alpha's blood is bound no more. Alpha's flesh, Alpha's blood, returned from whence it came. No more to run, no more to hunt, no more to fight. No more to answer the call of the pack. Banished. Pack no more." The hardest part for Bran was cutting a small piece of skin from his granddaughter's arm to symbolize the Alpha's flesh and blood returning to him.

She'd known it was going to be rough, but Juliana wasn't fully prepared for the pain and the **emptiness** she felt. She gasped when it was done and if Bran hadn't caught her she would have collapsed.

"Shh, it'll be alright. I know it hurts right now, but it'll fade and in a few hours you'll be in your new pack," Bran said gently. He was now wondering if he should have waited and gone to New York with them and done the ceremony there.

"I feel so alone," Juliana whispered and clung to her grandfather for a moment. When she was able to stand on her own she let go and stepped back.

Charles and Anna moved to her and Anna's soothing energy calmed her wolf. "I know sweetheart. It'll be okay, I promise," Anna said gently. "In a few hours we'll be in New York and you'll be with your new pack and your papa and I will be right beside you the whole way."

Juliana leaned against her mother and closed her eyes. "I know mama," she whispered. "I just didn't know it would feel like this, that I would feel so... alone," she added then sighed. "I guess it's time, huh?"

Charles hugged his daughter to him. "It is. Unless you've changed your mind?" There was an almost hopeful tone to his voice.

"No, I haven't changed my mind papa. I can do this," she replied.

He just nodded and escorted her to the truck. Kara and Cole waited for her on the passenger's side of the truck and they took turns hugging her tight. "I'll come visit as soon as I can," Kara promised.

"And I'll be with her," Cole put in.

Juliana smiled at them. "I'm gonna miss you, too," she said and had to wipe her eyes yet again.

All too soon they were airborne and Juliana watched as Aspen Creek got smaller and smaller then disappeared completely. She was quiet during the flight. Most of the way there she lay on the seats with her head in her mother's lap. She felt soothed by her mother's gentle touch when Anna ran her fingers through her hair. She was so soothed she fell asleep and dozed until they were descending. Then she sat up and prepared herself to meet her new Alpha.

********************A&O********************

Chris Matthews watched at the small Cessna taxied it's way towards the hangar. They were at an airstrip outside of Manhattan because smaller airstrips made things easier on everyone involved. Big airports just made werewolves uncomfortable. He had a rental waiting for the Cornicks to use because he knew there was no way they would want to ride all in the same vehicle with him. He'd been surprised when the Marrok called him about his granddaughter coming to Manhattan. He'd had no idea she existed. The more surprising thing, however, was learning that she was the adopted daughter of Charles and Anna Cornick. Charles. The Marrok's Enforcer. It was hard to see him in the role of father.

The Manhattan Alpha watched as Charles Cornick descended the plane followed by two females. One, he knew, was his wife and mate, the other was obviously his daughter. If Chris has to take a guess he'd say the smaller, darker female was the child. "Welcome to New York," he said as they reached him. "It's good to see you again, Charles," he added then turned to the two females to introduce himself. "I'm Chris Matthews, Alpha of the Manhattan Pack."

Charles, who'd had a hand in the other wolf's position, nodded at him. "It's good to see you too. This is my wife and mate, Anna," he said, introducing her. "And our daughter, Juliana."

Jules was tucked against her mother. Now that they were here she was scared. Would she fit in with the pack here? Would she have trouble with anyone?

Anna felt her daughter's fear, as well as the reaction it caused the dominant wolves close enough to smell it, and focused on Juliana to calm her. They really didn't need the dominant wolves all getting agitated. Within moments everyone relaxed.

"It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cornick. I've never met an Omega before. That... comes in handy in your pack, I'm sure," Chris said then turned his attention to Juliana. "It's completely normal to be scared about going off to college. It's been a long time since I went off for school, but I still remember how scared I was," he said gently. "On top of that, joining a strange pack, I can imagine it's pretty unnerving for you. You'll be safe though, Juliana. If you have any problems at all I want you to come to me, immediately, I don't care if it's the middle of the night, and I will take care of it. Don't worry," he said to both her and her parents, "I'll be repeating this after the joining ceremony to be sure there are no hesitations."

Juliana blushed a little and ducked her head a moment. "Okay," she finally said.

Anna decided she needed to explain to Chris why her daughter was so nervous. "Jules, honey, why don't you help your papa with your stuff," Anna said and watched her daughter go to where her bags and boxes were being loaded onto a cart. Then she turned to Chris. "There are a few things you need to know about Juliana. She was twelve when she came into our lives. She'd been an orphan for three years, by that time, and she was abused by her foster parents. They shattered her self esteem and then she was attacked by a rogue who had a history of sexual violence against young girls. I don't even want to think about what he might have done to her while she was defenseless. She was damn near broken when Charles brought her home to live with us and it's taken a lot of love, patience, and encouragement to repair the damage done to her. She still struggles with feeling like she has worth, from time to time, and even though she doesn't talk about it, I think she was molested by her foster father. Around strange males she sometimes gets scared, for no reason at all. If you think there is a problem, I don't care what time it is, please call us. Jules graduated early, she's only just turned sixteen, so letting her come here, it's been really hard on all of us. We're trusting she'll be safe here." She gave him direct eye contact. "And if **anyone** in your pack hurts her, in any way, I will kill them myself," she growled.

Chris listened and he felt his own anger rise at what Juliana had endured before she was taken in by the Cornicks. But it was Anna's threat that really startled him. "If anyone in my pack even thinks about it, I'll hand them over to you personally. I'll keep your daughter safe, Mrs. Cornick."

"You better," was all Anna said before they all climbed into cars to go to the Alpha's house for the joining ceremony.

********************A&O********************

Anna and Charles stayed at Juliana's side through it all, including the brief meet and greet she had with her new pack. It was smaller than she was used to and there wasn't a feeling of dysfunction from any of the pack bonds, which felt odd to her. It was something she would adjust to in time.

Then they were off to meet up with Thea's sister, Kalika, to get Juliana's belongings put away in the guest room she'd be using. Once that was done they took a tour of the campus Juliana would be devoting the next four years of her education to. When it was finally time to go back to Aspen Creek neither Anna nor Charles wanted to get on that plane but after dropping Juliana off at Kalika's they went to the airstrip and headed home. The only thing either of them could do was hope all went well.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Disclaimer:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

 **A/N:** I realized, a little late in the game, so to speak, that I never had Mercy and Juliana meet. To rectify that, the beginning of this chapter is in italics because it is a flashback to her first birthday as a Cornick.

********************A&O********************

One of the downsides to moving across country for college was that she was going to spend her birthday away from her family. This would be the first birthday since becoming part of the Cornick family that she would celebrate without them. Juliana would have loved to have gone home, even if for just the weekend, but with classes just starting it wasn't possible. Thinking about her birthday made her think about the first one she'd had with her family.

********************A&O********************

 _Thirteen. She was finally going to be a teenager. Everyone always talked about it like it was this magical thing, like something happened on that day to change you. Would she wake up feeling suddenly different? Juliana doubted it._

 _Then again, things already **were** different. This was the first birthday since the car accident that killed her parents she was actually looking forward to. Mama and Papa, they loved her. She'd never thought she would find a new mama and papa to love her, but they did. And she loved them._

 _The night before her birthday she was so excited she had a hard time falling asleep. It wasn't because she was going to get presents,those were just a bonus, it was because she was going to be spending the entire day with her family. Uncle Samuel even told her there was going to be someone special at her party, an Aunt she hadn't met yet. Aunt Mercy was like her, she was adopted into the family too._

********************A&O********************

 _Anna decided she was making the entire **day** special for her daughter. Breakfast consisted of all of Juliana's favorites; Belgian waffles, blueberry pancakes, cinnamon rolls, bacon and sausage both, and omelets thick with cheese, mushrooms, chunks of ham, sauteed onion, hash browns, and topped with sour cream._

" _There's so much food," Juliana said, staring at the table._

" _Today is all about you, sweetie, and these are all your favorites," Anna told her._

 _Juliana hugged her and pressed her face into Anna's shoulder. "Thank you, mama," she said softly._

" _You're welcome sweetheart."_

" _Good thing we're werewolves or there would be a lot of leftovers, or a lot of waste," Charles teased his mate._

 _Anna stuck her tongue out at him, which made her daughter giggle. It was a sound they were hearing more and more from her as the memory of her old life began to fade._

 _Breakfast done, Jules got to open one of her presents; a new saddle for her horse. This one was custom made for her and when she saw all the black stones that adorned it she was startled. "It's so pretty," she murmured._

" _Why don't we go saddle up and you can start breaking it in," Charles told her. They'd had it on a saddle stand, working it with oils to get it ready for this day, but now she got to try it out._

 _Charles helped her with it then grinned proudly when she swung up into the saddle on her own. It was bright and sunny for their late morning ride. Sometimes Anna joined them, others she didn't. Today was the latter because she wanted to give them some father-daughter time._

 _Juliana lifted her face to the sun and closed her eyes. The last time she'd been this happy was before her parents were killed. Thinking about them didn't make her as sad as it used to because she was sure they were watching over her and they were happy she was loved._

 _Charles took her up into the mountains to their sacred place. It was a small grove he'd asked the spirits to bless a long time ago and until Juliana came into their lives he'd shared it with no one. They spent time centering themselves, cleansing themselves of negativity, and then made an offering to the spirits to thank them. Then they headed back home._

********************A&O********************

 _The party was being held at Bran's and Aria's home since it was a much larger house than the small one Charles, Anna, and Juliana called home. Anna had already taken Juliana's presents over so that when they headed over Jules had no idea what she might be getting. Of course, that meant she assumed the saddle was **all** she was getting from them but she didn't ask because even that was more than she'd the last three birthdays combined._

" _By the way, Jules, sweetie, there's something you should know about your Aunt Mercy," Anna said as they pulled into Bran's drive. "She's... very different and you'll see what I mean when you meet her. You'll be able to smell it. I didn't want you to meet her without knowing because that first meeting can be a little odd."_

" _Okay, mama," Juliana replied. She assumed Mercy was part fae or something. She was something alright, but it wasn't fae._

********************A&O********************

" _There's my Little Wolf," Samuel said when they arrived. He picked Juliana up and spun her around just to make her laugh._

" _Hi Uncle Samuel," she said and kissed his cheek._

" _Hi yourself, birthday girl. I am very glad you don't think you're too old for hugs," he told her and put her on her feet._

" _I'll never be too old for hugs, Uncle Samuel," she replied._

 _A small, dark-haired woman approached and Juliana's nose twitched. Now, an aggressive or dominant wolf might have bared it's teeth or growled, but Juliana was neither of those things. Instead of growling she scurried behind Charles and pressed her face into his back to hide from the odd scent._

" _I think that's the first time I've had someone hide from_ _ **me**_ _," Mercy said. "Or is it Adam you're hiding from?" she added, indicating the man beside her. "He can be kinda scary when he wants to be, but not nearly as scary as Bran."_

" _No one is as scary as Da' when he wants to remind others exactly who and what he is," Samuel countered._

" _Too true, Samuel, too true," Mercy replied._

 _Juliana giggled and came out from behind Charles. "You smell funny," she said to Mercy._

" _You guys didn't_ _ **tell**_ _her?" Mercy said then turned back to Juliana. "I smell funny because I am a coyote shifter." She lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper even though those closest to them could still hear her. "Between you and me, I think they're all jealous because I can shift instantly. But you guys get the nifty healing and strength. Me, I'm just fast."_

" _It doesn't take time for you to shift?" Jules asked._

" _Nope."_

" _That's so cool. You're lucky because it really hurts sometimes," Juliana murmured._

" _Jules is the most submissive wolf we have in the pack so her shifts tend to take a little longer," Anna explained._

" _You know, there are some really good things about being a submissive wolf," Mercy said to Jules._

 _Juliana tipped her head at her in curiosity. "What do you mean?"_

" _Well, for one, you will always have someone looking out for you, that's just the way dominant wolves are. Dominant wolves also lose their tempers more easily, some more so than others, but a submissive wolf rarely does. Submissive wolves don't feel the urge to challenge others in the pack like the dominant ones do so they don't fight or get hurt as much, and submissive wolves are just calmer by nature. Until a bad man hurt our pack, we had a submissive wolf who was over two hundred years old and he didn't have any trouble up here," she said and tapped her head, "like a lot of the older wolves do."_

" _Oh, wow," Jules said in awe._

********************A&O********************

"Earth to Jules."

Juliana blinked then blushed. "Sorry, Kali, I spaced out a bit there."

"I noticed that," Kalika Stavros replied. "Is everything alright?"

"I was just thinking about my thirteenth birthday. It was the first one I had after being adopted. It feels so weird not being with mama, papa, grandpa, and Uncle Samuel this year. It's the first one without them since I became a Cornick."

Kali hugged her lightly. "Don't worry, Trina and I are going to make sure you have a good birthday."

"I know, I just miss them," Jules replied. Her phone rang and she grinned. It wasn't her parents, she'd just talked to them. No, it was her best friend. "Hey, Kara," she said when she answered.

"Happy Birthday Jules!" Kara had her phone on speaker so both she and Cole could say it together.

"Oh! Hi Cole, I didn't know you were there too. Thanks you two."

"As if I'd let Kara call you without me?" Cole countered. "It's so weird you not being here for us to all do something before your party," he added. "Your mom always throws the best parties."

Juliana smiled at that. "Mama likes to do the themed party thing. I think she was trying to make up for how things were when I was in foster care."

"Doesn't matter why she did it, they were still awesome."

"Please tell me Thea's sisters are doing something for your birthday," Kara cut in.

"They are. I don't know **what** , Kali won't tell me anything other than 'you'll have fun, promise', but yeah, they're not going to let me sit around and mope," Jules replied.

"That's right," Kali said loud enough for even Cole to hear. "Don't worry, we won't let anything happen to her and if Trina and I aren't enough protection, two of Juliana's pack members are coming with us."

When they'd first learned about Thea and Cyrus being werewolves they'd thought it was a prank their papa was in on but it wasn't. Kali thought it was cool and if the risk wasn't so high she might have wanted to become one too, but dying wasn't something she wanted to do any time soon. They had enough to worry about with Petros because he seemed **extremely** interested in it.

"We'll let you go then, so you can go have fun," Kara said even though she really wanted to just keep her best friend on the phone all day. "Don't forget us out there," she added playfully.

"Never. Miss you guys bunches and love you lots," Jules replied and hung up.

"No being glum, it's not allowed," Trina said when she saw the sad look on Juliana's face. "I know it's not the same as being with your family and your besties, but we **will** have fun, you'll see!"

Juliana smiled a little. "I believe you, Trina. It just feels weird," she said. She grabbed her bag and followed them to the door.

Jules liked her new pack, they were protective and attentive to her needs, but she'd decided she wanted to continue living with Kalika. Since her new Alpha was taking Anna's threats to heart (smart wolf), he moved several pack members into the apartment building Kalika lived in. That way, if anything happened, a pack member was nearby. Two of those members waited in the hall for them. The Manhattan Pack was one of the packs that had chosen to accept gay wolves into the pack and everything was going smoothly so far.

Trevor Canton lounged against the wall while they waited. His hair today was gelled into spikes and he'd dyed the ends blood red. It was a nice contrast to the black that was the rest of his hair. Dark jeans hugged his hips and the shirt he wore was the same red as his spikes. "There's the birthday girl," he said when Juliana stepped out. They'd discovered, very quickly, that Trevor was one of the few male wolves in the pack who didn't make Juliana uncomfortable. Her reaction to the other males made them wonder if Anna was right about her foster father.

"Hey, Trev, I like the red spikes, they're spiffy," Jules replied. "Hi, Sasha," she added and dropped her head submissively.

Sasha Garret was dominant in her own right and being mated to the pack's second put her that much higher. "Hi Jules. So, Rob and I got you something for your birthday that I want to give you right now," she said and held a small square box out to her.

Juliana was perplexed when she took the box from her. When she opened it she gasped. Inside was a card indicating a reserved balcony box, in her name, valid for the next for years, at one of the best theatres on Broadway. "Your mom told us you really liked the theatre and we thought this way you can see anything you want, and when your best friend comes to visit, you can take her too."

Juliana blinked tears from her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly. She took it back inside and put it in her jewelry box because she didn't want to risk losing it.

"You're very welcome," Sasha told her. "I wasn't expecting such an emotional response though," she added.

Juliana blushed a little. Once upon a time she wouldn't have been in a healthy enough place to explain her reaction. Now she was. "It's just that... when I was nine, my parents were killed in a car accident that left me scarred and an orphan. My foster parents were... neglectful is too light of a word, really. They were abusive, and hateful, and treated me like garbage. Getting attacked by a rogue was the best thing to happen to me since the accident because it brought mama and papa into my life. But I sometimes still forget that people do nice things for others, just because."

"Oh, pup, that's awful what you went through," Sasha said and hugged her. "I see why your mom is so protective of you. Well, besides the fact you're the sweetest person on earth so who **wouldn't** be protective of you?" she added.

"Alright, dahlings, enough of this depressing talk, today is about fun," Trevor said and draped an arm over Juliana's shoulders. "Let's get to it, there are hotties out there just waiting to be oogled," he added.

Juliana laughed as she let herself be led to the elevator. She had no idea what they had planned, she just knew she'd had to bring a change of clothes, which Kalika picked out for her so she couldn't even get any hints from the outfit.

Their first stop was at a little Asian restaurant where Juliana tried sushi for the first time. It was different, and she found she didn't like all of it, but the California rolls were tasty. From there they went to an outdoor concert, did a little shopping at the nearby open-air market, and then it was time to change their clothes. When Juliana saw the outfit Kali had for her, she blinked. "Um, that's... I've never worn anything like that before."

"Jules, sweetie, you have a good figure, stop hiding it. Besides, we're going dancing and this is perfect for that," Kali told her.

Juliana bit her lip but she changed into the snug-fitting leather pants and bustier top Kali had for her. The pants sat low on her hips and showed off a bit of her flat tummy. Leather boots that came to the knees finished off the outfit.

Trevor whistled when she came out. "Looking good there, Jules." They were all dressed in a similar fashion. Photos were snapped and they headed off to a club that Juliana could get in with ID and a stamp that said she wasn't old enough to drink. She had no idea Kali sent some of the photos to Kara who would later show them to Cole.

When they first got to the club Juliana was nervous and hung back near Sasha while Kali, Trina, and Trevor all hit the dance floor but soon she joined them. Sasha kept a close eye on her and when some guy tried to coerce Juliana into dancing with him she stepped in and got him to back off. She had a bad feeling the guy was going to be trouble though. She moved to their companions to warn them. "I need you three to help me keep an eye out for the blond over there in the silver shirt. He was being real pushy with Juliana, he backed off, but I don't trust him. Something about him has my wolf on edge."

"Sure thing, Sasha," they all said.

Juliana stayed close to them until she had to use the ladies room. "I'll be right back, need to use the bathroom."

"Want one of us to come with you?" Kali asked.

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine," Juliana replied.

********************A&O********************

A pair of blue eyes watched as Juliana headed to the area where the bathrooms were located. He wasn't sure if she was just shy or playing hard to get, but now that she was away from her friends he was going to take the opportunity to find out. He slipped away from the bar where he'd been watching her and took a roundabout way to the bathrooms in case her overly-protective friend was watching. Then he waited for her to come out.

********************A&O********************

It felt like it took forever to get into the bathroom, and getting the leather pants down was a chore, but finally she was done. She brushed hair back from her face and smiled a little at her reflection. So far her birthday was pretty good. Sure she missed her family, friends, and pack in Aspen Creek but she was making new friends here and her new pack was really welcoming. She headed out of the bathroom and was startled from her thoughts when someone suddenly grabbed her arm.

"There you are. I was hoping to catch you away from your friends. What do you say you ditch them and come party with me, baby? Girl like you shouldn't be stuck with other chicks and a fag."

Juliana frowned. "That's an ugly word," she said and wasn't sure how to break his hold on her arm without giving her secret away. She wasn't comfortable with complete strangers knowing what she was. "Please let me go."

"What? One of those chicks your girlfriend then? Damn, why is it the hot ones are always lesbians? Or maybe you're just being a tease," he said and backed her up to the wall.

Juliana froze at his words and then cringed as memories she'd buried so deeply they'd been mostly forgotten, resurfaced and she suddenly felt sick.

********************A&O********************

Kali was getting worried. Jules wasn't back from the bathroom yet and when she glanced around the club she couldn't find the asshole who'd been bothering Juliana earlier. That alone made her decide to head to the bathrooms to check on her roomie.

"...why is it the hot ones are always lesbians? Or are you just a tease?"

Kali heard those words and her eyes narrowed. When she caught sight of Jules she was ready to beat the shit out of the guy. But she had a better idea. "The hot ones are always lesbians because we're smart enough to know pussy is so much better than cock," she said as she approached. "Get your hands off my girl before I break them."

The guy whirled at the voice. The woman in front of him wasn't the one he'd been expecting. "I figured the bitch who got in my face before was the one who was with her."

"Who says we're not a threesome," Kali countered. While he stared at her she got Jules away from him and put her behind her. "A little word of advice, dickhead. If a girl tells you to leave her alone, you do it, unless you want to end up in jail for assault." She put her arm around Juliana and felt her shaking. She didn't ask what was wrong, she just headed for the door while texting her sister with her free hand. Texting one-handed wasn't easy but she managed.

"Kali just sent me a text. Something happened. She didn't say what, just that we need to get Juliana out of here," Trina said and headed for the door with Sasha and Trevor following.

Kali got Juliana outside and guided her down the street to where she'd had to park the car. The girl was still shaking and it worried her.

"What's wrong?" Sasha asked as soon as she was close enough for Kalika to hear her. The fear rolling off of Juliana hit both her and Trevor and she felt the wolf beside her tense a little. "Juliana, you need to calm yourself," Sasha said firmly. "You don't want to lose control and hurt your friends."

Sasha's words broke through the panic in Juliana's head and she slumped against the car. "I don't... I can't.. I don't want to hurt anyone," she whispered.

"It's okay Jules, you're safe. We're going to get you back to the apartment and then you're going to take a nice, relaxing bath and go to bed." There were benefits to being mated to the pack's second and this was one of them. She could exert dominance over Juliana in order to protect her human friends from her wolf, and protect Juliana from the guilt she would feel if she lost control.

Juliana nodded and slid into the backseat of the car. Once she had her seat belt on she wrapped her arms around herself.

Trevor moved to get into the car and Juliana's panic spiked. "I'll call a cab, girls, just get her home," he said and moved away from them. If he ran into the fucker who'd upset Juliana so badly, he was going to hurt him.

********************A&O********************

As soon as Juliana was in the tub Sasha was on her phone. "Chris, you need to call the Cornicks and get them here, ASAP. We took Jules out for her birthday and something happened. She started to panic when **Trevor** got in the car; she adores Trevor."

"Shit. Alright, I'll make the call. How is she right now?"

"For the moment she's calmed down but that's because I ordered her to take a relaxing bath and go to bed. I'll stay here until her parents can get here, just in case."

"I'll let you know when they're on their way," Chris said and hung up. He really didn't want to make this call.

********************A&O********************

Anna was playing her cello in hopes of distracting both her and Charles from the fact this was Juliana's first birthday away from them since she'd become their daughter when her phone rang. A quick glance at the number had her on edge. "What's wrong?" she said as soon as she answered.

Chris didn't beat around the bush with his reply. "I honestly don't know. I just got off the phone with Sasha, she's our second's mate. She and another pack member went out with Juliana, her roommate, and her roommate's sister to celebrate her birthday and something happened that upset her so badly she couldn't even handle having Trevor, the other pack member who was with them, in the car. She's never had an issue with him before."

"Tell him we'll be there in a few hours," Charles said. He'd heard enough to call and get the plane ready to go.

"We'll be there in a few hours. Where is she right now?" Anna said as she moved to follow her mate out to the truck.

"At the apartment she shares with your pack member's sister. Sasha is staying with them until you arrive," Chris replied. "I'll meet you at the airstrip with a rental," he added and hung up.

********************A&O********************

Juliana took the bath she was ordered to take but it really didn't help her to relax. When she curled up in her bed she whimpered quietly. She kept trying to bury the memories again but they wouldn't go away.

Sasha heard the whimpering and went to sit with her. "Your parents are on their way, Jules," she told her gently. She ran fingers through the younger wolf's hair and felt her relax a little. "I'll stay right here until they arrive. You aren't alone."

********************A&O********************

Anna was at the door of the plane even before Charles brought it to a complete stop. As soon as she felt it stop she pushed the door open and jumped down. She didn't even bother with the steps. Her daughter was hurting and needed her. Charles, she knew, was right behind her.

Chris was waiting for them and held a set of keys out to Anna. "Black SUV right outside. Sasha is still with her, she said Juliana finally fell asleep but it's not peaceful."

"Thank you for calling us," Anna said. She drove because her mate was too tense to. He hated driving under the best of conditions. Given what Chris had said about Juliana's sudden reaction to a male pack member she'd previously had no issues with, Anna feared her theory about her daughter was true.

********************A&O********************

Kalika answered the door on the first knock. She'd been sitting in the living room worrying about her young friend. "Hi, come in," she said when she saw them.

"Hi, Kalika. What happened tonight?" Anna asked.

"Well, you know we took Jules out for her birthday, right? Well, our last stop was a club for some dancing. This guy kept trying to get her to dance with him and Sasha **thought** she got him to back off, but when Jules went to the bathroom, he cornered her. I'm not sure exactly **what** caused her to freak out though. As soon as I saw how upset she was, we came home."

Charles growled and Anna touched his arm. Him getting angry wouldn't help anything. "Thank you for getting her out of there," Anna said and headed for her daughter's room. She knocked gently because she didn't want to startle anyone.

Juliana was sleeping fitfully and jerked awake at the knock.

"Easy, it's just your parents," Sasha told her. She went to the door to open it. "I'm Sasha. I'll let you take over from here," she said and moved back for them to enter.

Anna barely acknowledged her as she moved to her daughter's bed. She slid onto it with her and wrapped her arms around her. "It's okay, sweetie, we're here," she said soothingly.

Charles moved to the other side of the bed as Sasha left to let them help their daughter through whatever happened.

Anna didn't ask Juliana about it. She knew her daughter well enough to know that Jules would talk when ready. When Charles shifted to wolf and pressed his nose against their daughter's cheek, Juliana's resolve crumbled.

"He told me I was a tease. He said... I wasn't a good girl because good girls didn't tease men. Only bad girls did that. He said... he said no one would listen if I told because no one cared about a teasing slut getting what she deserved." Her voice started out empty of emotion but it filled with pain as she continued. "It hurt mama.. and he liked that. He.. he came in every night after Ally went to sleep. I'm not a bad girl mama. I swear I'm not. I didn't... I didn't..."

Anna hugged her daughter tight. "Shh, baby, I know you're not. What that monster did to you is unforgivable. It **wasn't** your fault, Jules." She rocked her and held her and cried with her and all the while she could hear Brother Wolf raging in her head over what their daughter had suffered. Theo Redding was a vile man and if he'd abused Juliana, no doubt he did it to other girls too. He was a dead man walking and he didn't even know it.

Juliana cried until she fell into an exhausted sleep. Anna and Charles stayed right there with her, giving her the comfort and safety of her family. Anna would have to talk with her Alpha, fill him in, so the pack could help her heal. She would also let Kalika and Petrina know so they could help too.

********************A&O********************

Trevor was hunting. No, he wasn't going to kill anyone, or any thing, but he was still hunting. The asshole who'd upset Juliana needed his ass beat. Trevor knew the kind of guy he was. He thought women were just here for his use. Guys like him were scum. "Hey, dickhead, I've been looking for you," he said when he finally found him.

"What the fuck do you want, faggot?"

"Oh, was that supposed to hurt my feelings? Better men than you have insulted me, asshole." He gave him a dark look. "Someone needs to teach you the proper way to treat a lady but I think I'll just settle for kicking your ass."

The guy laughed. "Yeah, right. In your dreams, fag. You better get out of here before you get hurt."

Trevor gave him a dark grin. "Oh, someone is in the closet. It's been my experience that the ones who spew such vitriol about homosexuals do it out of self recrimination and shame because of their own deviant desires towards their own gender."

"Fuck you," the guy snarled and swung at him.

Trevor let him hit him and then he went on the offensive. He had to be careful, he could seriously injure the jerk, even kill him, if he wasn't. So he held his punches just enough to make sure he'd feel it in the morning, and sport the bruises for a while. "Assholes like you give the rest of us a bad name, fucker," he said and walked away.

********************A&O********************

Charles wanted to stay with his daughter but at the same time he wanted to hunt down her foster father and rip him apart. In the end he did neither of those things. Anna stayed with Juliana for a bit while Charles returned to Aspen Creek and began digging into Theodore Redding's life. It took a little time but he found six other girls he'd raped or molested while under the care of the Reddings. The question was, did they want to put them through the hell of a trial?

"Theodore and Allison Redding have been taken care of," Bran informed his son. He knew when Charles came to his study it was to discuss what to do about the Reddings. "There are no bodies to be found, but they will never harm another child," he added with a growl. "The official story is they went boating in the bayou, their boat will be found, half submerged, and it will be assumed they drowned and the gators got them."

"Good," Charles said. "That saves me figuring out a way to make it look like an accident. I hope the bastard suffered." He only wished he could have been there to see it happen.

"This is one death you need to be able to honestly admit you had no hand in, for Juliana's sake," Bran said as if he knew what his son was thinking.

"I know, Da', I know,"

********************A&O********************

Two weeks after Juliana's birthday, Anna went home. Her daughter had a long way to go to be completely healed but she would get there. Anna had offered to let her come home, she could go back at the start of the next semester, but Juliana said no. She needed to know she could stand on her own feet. Anna was so proud of her for that.


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Disclaimer:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was struggling with the feeling of shame that had come back to her with the memory of what her foster father did to her. She knew her pack was there for her, she knew her friends were there for her, she even knew her parents were there for her, but she couldn't help feeling dirty and reaching out for help was... terrifying.

The pack was gathered for the full moon, the sun was sitting low on the horizon, ad Chris Matthews, Alpha of the Manhattan Pack, was worried about his youngest and most submissive pack member. "Walk with me, pup," he said gently.

Juliana was sitting away from the others when her Alpha approached. She didn't ask why, she just got up to walk with him. He'd not made it an order but he didn't really need to.

"I'm worried about you, Juliana. I'm not going to make you talk to me, but you need to talk to someone about what happened to you. Someone who can understand what you're going through. You met my niece, Kelsey, just before your birthday. She's been where you are right now. I want you to talk with her. She knows what we are and how to deal with our wolves. With you being a submissive, I know it'll be safe for her to help you work through this."

"I didn't know that about her," Juliana said softly. "I'll talk with her, I promise."

"Good girl. It'll be dark soon," he said and guided her back to the pack.

"You okay?" Trevor asked. He'd kept his distance since her birthday.

Juliana blinked at him and she remembered her reaction in the car. "Oh god, Trevor, I'm so sorry. I didn't... it wasn't you. I just... I was..." Tears filled her eyes and she blinked rapidly to clear her vision.

"Oh, no, hey, it's okay," Trevor said and hugged her. "That dickhead did something that brought up bad memories for you, I know it wasn't **me** you were freaked out over. I was giving you some space so you could deal with things. If I'd known you'd think I was avoiding you, honey, I would have explained before now." He kissed her temple and stepped back. "I thought you'd like to know, I kicked that dickhead's ass, by the way."

Juliana stared at him. "You did?" At his nod she giggled a little. "I kinda wish I'd gotten to see the look on his face when you hit him."

"It was priceless, dahling," he said, drawing the last word out. "He thought for sure he was going to stomp a fag into the ground and it was the other way around." The moon's call was getting stronger. "Go undress, you'll start shifting soon, we all will," he told her. Because of her age she was given a lot of privacy.

Juliana nodded and went to a less open area to undress. This was the part she hated most; shifting. Pained whimpers escaped her until it was over and her wolf raised it's head to answer the moon's call with a howl of joy. The human part of her was in despair and needed to be protected. Maybe _she_ needed to stay in control for a while. Would Alpha allow it?

As the pack ran, all her worries faded away. The wolf wasn't hurt, the wolf was safe from the horrors of her human's past. She could run free and not care about anything. Until the run was over and it was time to return control to her human half. Her ears lowered to her head, her tail tucked down, and she whined at her Alpha.

Chris was first to return to human form. When he saw Juliana he went to her. "I know you want to keep her safe, but you can't stay in control. She needs to heal and she can't do that if she isn't here to do it." He ran his fingers through her fur. You can stay in control until morning, and then you must give it back to your human half," he added and made it a command.

The wolf wagged the tip of her tail and licked her Alpha's hand in thanks. When he went to get her belongings she followed him and then got in his SUV to go to his home until she shifted back to human in the morning.

********************A&O********************

As soon as he had Juliana settled in a room Chris called and left a message for his niece to come over the next day because he needed her help. He knew the message would make her curious enough to ignore the fact it almost sounded like he was giving her an order.

********************A&O********************

It was late morning before Juliana awoke and returned to human form. She stayed curled up in bed for a while before she sighed, got up, showered, dressed, and headed downstairs to get something to eat. She knew her Alpha was waiting for her but she was surprised to see Kelsey there too.

"Good morning sleepy head," Kelsey said gently. Her uncle had filled her in a bit about **why** he needed her help. She'd had to work through years of sexual abuse as a child, she knew what Juliana was struggling with.

"Morning," Jules said and ducked her head a bit.

"Uncle Chris, why don't you go do whatever it is you do and let us girls gossip in peace," Kelsey said.

The comment made Juliana giggle a little. She fixed her plate and sat to eat.

"I hope you don't mind, but Uncle Chris told me a little about what you're going through," she said once he left the kitchen. "It's okay to be sad, it's okay to be scared, Juliana. It's even okay to feel the shame you're feeling right now. Those are all legitimate feelings and it takes time to let them go." Kelsey picked at the biscuit on her plate. "I was six when it started. My mom had gotten remarried when I was four and at first my step-father was nice. I didn't notice anything anyway, not until he started touching me in the bath. I still remember the first time he penetrated me with his finger. It hurt and when my mom noticed I was having trouble sitting still I told her I fell on the playground and hurt myself. I was seven years old and already I was ashamed and I didn't think she would believe me if I told her the truth. He raped me when I was twelve. That was when I finally told my mother. I'd thought she wouldn't believe me but she did. When I told her everything... she wanted to kill him." She looked up at Juliana. "You're going to have bad days, Juliana. But if you let the people who care about you in, if you let them help you, you **can** heal. And if you ever want to talk, I'm here."

Juliana swallowed and nodded. "My foster father raped me. He told me I was a bad girl because I was a tease. He said good girls didn't tease men and no one would care because I got what I deserved. I don't think I'm the only one he did it to. How many girls has he hurt because I was afraid to report him? Their pain is my fault."

"Oh, Juliana, no," Kelsey said and went to her. "The only one at fault would be him. He's a monster. Don't take the blame for the vile things he does."

"But it's true, isn't it? If I'd told someone..."

"Chances are, no one would have listened. The foster care system is horrible. They often accuse children of making things up out of spite and the people who control things believe them because they're an adult. I honestly don't think it would have done any good."

Juliana sighed softly. "Maybe you're right." She tucked her hair behind her ears. "Thanks, Kelsey. I'll... try to take your advice."

"You're welcome, Juliana," she replied. She believed that with enough time the younger girl would be just fine.

********************A&O********************

For several weeks it looked like they were going to have to consider sending Juliana back to Aspen Creek. When she wasn't at school she stayed in her room and avoided people as much as possible. She even avoided the pack until the next full moon.

Chris, once again, approached his youngest pack member. "How are you, Juliana? You've been keeping to yourself quite a bit, it's got all of us worried about you."

"I'm sorry, Alpha. I didn't mean to worry everyone. I needed some time to think and just... work through the thoughts in my head. I'm... better. Kind of. I'm not going to let it control me. I wasn't bad, I wasn't a tease, he's just a very sick man."

"That's right. He **is** a sick man, one who took advantage of a young girl he was supposed to protect," Chris replied. "You'll be just fine," he added.

During the run that night Juliana let her wolf's joy at being free carry all her worries away.

********************A&O********************

Back in Aspen Creek, Cole was doing a lot of thinking. He missed Jules and the more he thought about her the more he realized he wanted to be in her life, permanently, and not just as a friend. But he didn't know what Jules wanted. He headed for his car. He might not know what Jules would want, but he knew someone who would.

********************A&O********************

Kara was on her front porch studying while it was still nice enough out to do it, despite the fact they'd already gotten some snow, when Cole pulled into the driveway. "Hey, Cole."

"Hey, Kara. I need to talk to you. It's... kind of important."

Kara arched a brow before she closed her book and set it aside. "I'm all ears. What's up?"

"It's about Jules."

"Okay?"

"She tells you things she doesn't tell me. Is she, uh, interested in anyone out there in New York?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Why?"

He relaxed a little at that. "See, I've been thinking," he said and started to pace. "I want to be in Jules' life as more than a friend. But I don't know what **she** wants you know? But I figured... you would."

Kara debated on making him sweat over it for a bit but decided to be nice. "Why are boys so freaking obtuse? Cole, why do you think Jules was so upset when you started dating Kelly our junior year?"

Cole frowned. "I thought it was because I didn't say anything about it to her and she found out about it the wrong way."

"No, you idiot. She was upset because she's in love with you. But it wasn't **just** Jules who was upset. Her wolf was too. Anna said it was really rare for a wolf as young as Juliana's to choose a mate but her's did. Her wolf **pined** for you because the way it looked at it, it had lost it's mate."

Cole stared at her. "Oh god. I didn't know. I went out with Kelly to try to convince myself I wasn't in love with Jules. But all I did was think about her. When Ryan asked Jules to homecoming that year, I wanted to kick his ass for asking **my** Jules to the dance, but she wasn't mine. I'm so fucking stupid."

"In this I won't argue with you," Kara told him.

"Thanks, Kara. Now I know what I need to do."

Kara frowned at the tone of his voice. "Cole, what are you planning?"

"October is coming," he said.

It took her a moment to understand what he meant. "No! No way. Are you **insane**? You know the risks, why would you even **think** about it?"

"This is the only way I can be in Juliana's life the way I want to be. I've lived in Aspen Creek my whole life, Kara. I've seen how hard it is on a wolf when their human mate grows old and dies. I've heard their howls. I can't, I **won't** , put Jules through that."

"And what if you don't survive the attack, Cole? How do you think that is going to affect her?You don't think it won't hurt her?"

"Not the same way it would eighty years from now. I need to do this, Kara. But I need you to make me a promise. If I don't survive it, don't **ever** let Jules know the real reason I tried in the first place."

"You don't have to ask me to promise that. There is no way in hell I would tell her, it would destroy her because she would blame herself."

"Thanks, Kara," he said and leaned against the rail. "I know you think I'm an idiot for wanting to do this, but at least you're not screaming at me."

"As if that would do any good," she replied. "Jules is coming home for a week during break between semesters, you need to tell her then so she'll have time to prepare herself if you don't survive."

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I'm not going to let myself be negative though. I can't. I'll let you get back to studying. I've got a paper to finish up myself," he admitted and left.

Kara watched him go. 'Please don't let him die, it will destroy Jules, regardless,' she silently prayed and went back to her school work.

********************A&O********************

Summer semester was over and she had two weeks until she had to worry about Fall semester. Jules was in a rush as she packed for the week she was going to be back home. She was okay with being home for only a week because she'd get to go home between Fall and Winter semester as well as Christmas Break. She was a little surprised though when Kali and Trina both said they were going with her. "A chance to go see Thea and Cy, why **wouldn't** we want to come too?" Kali had pointed out. It made sense.

The trio packed their bags into Kali's car and headed to the small airstrip where Anna and Charles were to meet them. Jules was practically bouncing in the seat she was so happy she was going to see her family and friends back home.

"You are really excited about this," Trina said and laughed at the silly grin Juliana gave her.

"I've missed everybody back home so much. I didn't know it was going to be **this** hard to be away from them. I can't help but be excited," she admitted.

"I was teasing, Jules. It's good to see you so happy," Trina told her. "You went through a really rough patch there for a bit."

Juliana sighed softly. "Yeah. Things are better since I decided I wouldn't let it control me anymore."

"That's the only way to deal with what you went through; don't let it control you," Kali told her.

********************A&O********************

Anna was pacing in front of the plane. "She sounded better on the phone. Do you think she's better?" she asked her mate.

"I think she is. She's strong, you know that, and she has a lot of people supporting her," Charles replied.

"She's a lot braver than I am," Anna said softly. Maybe she should talk with her daughter about her own past at some point to help her understand how to cope with it all.

"Nonsense. You defied your Alpha and called the Marrok," Charles pointed out.

"But not about what happened to me, only about that poor boy," Anna reminded him.

"It was still a brave thing to do. Here they come," he said when he saw the car.

"Tell me again why we had to pack warmer clothes?' Trina said as they got out of the car.

"Because you'll freeze your butts off otherwise," Anna said before Juliana could.

"Mama! Papa!" Juliana rushed to her parents and hugged them both. "I missed you so much."

"We missed you too, little one," Charles said.

"It's really that cold already?" Kali asked.

"Well, maybe not freeze, but we've already gotten some snow," Anna told her.

"Wow, that's crazy," Trina said.

"That's Montana," Anna and Juliana said in unison and laughed. "Let's get your bags loaded onto the plane and get out of here," Anna told them.

On the flight Juliana filled her parents in on how her classes went and how she was doing. "I'm better. Not fixed all the way but better," she promised.

"That's good sweetheart. One day at a time, right?" Anna said gently.

********************A&O********************

Back in Aspen Creek it was Kara's turn to pace. "What is taking so long?" she asked. "Shouldn't they be here by now?"

Cole shook his head. "They're on their way, Kara. Chill, you're making me dizzy watching you pace," he joked.

"Ha ha, very funny," she replied and stuck her tongue out at him. "So why aren't **you** anxious to see Jules?" she asked.

"If you think I'm not anxious then you're too on edge for your wolf to smell it," he countered. "Her mom ever tell you why she spent two weeks out there?" he asked.

"She told me the same thing she told you; something happened that upset Jules and when Jules feels ready to share it she will."

"That's so annoying. I guess we have to wait," he grumbled.

Half an hour later the plane landed and Kara waited for Jules to get off before she rushed to her to hug her. "Finally! I was beginning to think you were never going to get here."

Juliana smiled and returned the hug. "I missed you too, Kara." Her gaze went to Cole and her heart skipped a little. Why did he still affect her so much? "Hey, Cole."

"Hey yourself," he replied. He didn't rush to her but he did hug her. He felt her tense briefly and frowned. "Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Juliana shook her head. "No it's... let me get unpacked and I'll explain it to both of you?"

"Sure, Jules," Cole replied. He and Kara shared a look before they both greeted Kali and Trina too. "Thea and Asil are outside. Kara's pacing was driving Asil nuts," Cole told them.

The girls said goodbye to Juliana and went to go off with their sister.

"Why don't you ride with Kara and Cole?" Anna suggested. "We'll get your stuff to the house."

"Alright, mom," Jules replied. She let her friends drag her off to Cole's car. "I wonder why she did that," she said after she was in the passenger seat.

"Dunno," Cole said with a shrug. He was lying through his teeth but he pulled it off.

********************A&O********************

Charles and Anna reached the house first in order to be sure everything was ready. Maybe it was odd to some, having a 'welcome home' party for her so soon, but this was the first time Juliana had left home and Anna wanted to be sure her daughter remembered she was loved by her family. "They're right behind us," she said and Sage, Cyrus, Tag, Bran, Aria, Samuel, Chloe, Amaris and Lexia all moved out of sight. They'd traveled there on foot so Jules wouldn't know they were there.

********************A&O********************

Cole pulled in behind Charles' truck and went around to open Juliana's door but hesitated because of her earlier reaction to him. He opened it but for the first time since he'd known her, he found himself being cautious around her.

Juliana was saddened by his caution but it was her own fault. Hopefully when she explained things to him he'd understand her reaction better. "Thanks," she said and headed inside.

********************A&O********************

"WELCOME HOME!"

Juliana blinked when her family all popped up and yelled at once. "You sneak!" she said to Cole when she saw he was grinning from ear to ear."You lied... and you pulled it off. That is **so** not fair!"

Cole laughed. "Why do you think I didn't elaborate when you said you wondered why your mom suggested you ride with us? If I'd said more than 'dunno' you would have heard the lie."

Bran approached his granddaughter and hugged her before he kissed her forehead. "You have been missed," he told her.

"I missed you to grandpa," Jules replied.

Lexia, who was eight now, waited patiently to say hi to Juliana as well. She called her 'Cousin Jules' even though she was technically Juliana's aunt. "I made you something," she said when Juliana picked her up and hugged her. Lexia held out a colorful bracelet she'd made.

"Oh, I love it. Thank you, Lexia," she said and put it on right away.

There were more hugs, lots of food, and a lot of questions about how school was going and how she was doing out in New York, all of which she answered honestly. When they were finally able to get away, she, Cole, and Kara went to her room to talk.

Juliana sat on the bed and pulled a pillow into her arms to hug it. "You both know I was in foster care before I was attacked, you know they weren't nice people," she said softly. "But there's more to it, stuff I buried because it hurt to think about it." She wouldn't look at either of them. "My foster father... raped me. Several times. He blamed me for it, said I was a bad girl for teasing him and no one would care if I told on him because it was what I deserved."

Kara and Cole stared at her but Kara found her voice first. "Oh god, Jules. That... bastard." She moved closer to her on the bed and hugged her tight.

Cole moved to the edge of the bed and reached out to touch her arm. "I'll kill him," he said with conviction.

Juliana jerked at his words. "No! Cole, you'd go to prison and that would hurt me even more."

"Okay Jules," Cole said even if he really did want to hunt the bastard down and kill him.

"Why did your mom go out there for two weeks?" Kara asked. "She really wouldn't tell us anything."

"One of the places we went for my birthday was a dance club and this jerk was harassing me. He cornered me at the bathrooms and called me a tease and... I freaked out because it brought up those buried memories. Mom stayed to make sure I really was okay." She grinned a little. "The jerk got his butt beat by a pack member who was with us; Trevor. If you saw him you would **not** think he could take on someone who looked like a jock. I'm sure he was embarrassed about getting beat up by an effeminate gay man."

Kara snickered. "I can imagine."

Even Cole laughed at the image her description created. "Are you okay though?" he asked.

Juliana scooted closer to him. "I am. I've been talking with my Alpha's niece, she went through something similar when she was younger, and it's helped me to realize I wasn't the one who was bad, he was." She put her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry for before. I don't want you to be afraid around me."

Cole hugged her then. "It's okay. You're dealing with some heavy stuff, you're allowed to be upset."

Juliana smiled a little. "Thanks." The trio spent hours talking before both Cole and Kara finally went home so Juliana could get some sleep.

********************A&O********************

The week went by way too fast in Juliana's opinion. It was the last day there before she headed back to New York and she and Cole were sitting beside a pond in a little alcove not far from her house. They'd taken the horses out for a run and were letting them graze while they enjoyed the afternoon sun. It was a bit chilly out but Cole didn't seem to mind it. "What's wrong, Cole?" Juliana finally asked.

"There's something I need to tell you. In October, I'm going to try the Change."

Juliana stared at him. "You're joking, right?" When he shook his head she got up quickly from where she'd been sitting. "Are you crazy? You **know** how dangerous it is, Cole! Why would you do something you **know** could kill you?"

"Jules, I know the risks, but this is something I've wanted for a long time."

"Cole Harper, if you get yourself killed don't you **dare** expect me to come to your funeral!"

"I love you too, Jules," he replied.

His words stopped her for a moment but she knew it wasn't the way she wanted him to love her. "Don't do this, Cole, please."

He moved to her. "I need to do this, Jules, even if it scares the shit out of me. I can't be a coward and run from my fear. I have to be brave, just like my best friend."

"I'm not really brave," Juliana countered.

"Yes, you are. You were terrified of going across country for school but you did it. You faced your fear and I have to face this... and just hope for the best."

"And what happens to the people who care about you, if you die? We're the ones who have to find a way to go on living with that pain and heartache."

"I know, Jules. I've thought about that, and maybe I'm being stupid for thinking this will work out, when I know the odds, but I need to do this. For me. To know I can do it."

She felt her heart breaking with the fear of losing him but she pushed the fear down. What kind of friend was she if she couldn't support him? "Okay, Cole. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones."

He hugged her gently. "Thanks, Jules."

"But I'm still not coming to your funeral if you die!"

That made him laugh. "If you say so. Let's head back, it's getting colder."

"Yeah, and you could get sick and that wouldn't be good," Juliana replied.

"See you tomorrow, Jules," Cole said once they'd taken care of the horses. He and Kara were planning to see her off.

"See you tomorrow," she replied. She went straight to her father. "Cole is going to try the Change this year," she whispered.

Charles pulled his daughter close. "We will do all we can to see he succeeds," he told her.

Anna moved to her and hugged her as well. "The only thing we can do is hope for the best."

"I know, mama. It just hurts. I might lose him for real." She stayed there cocooned in their embrace for several minutes before she pulled away and went to her room. Her trip was over, it was time to get back to the life she'd decided she wanted.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Disclaimer:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

October. When everyone else in the country was gearing up for Halloween, Juliana was trying to prepare herself for the very real possibility of Cole's death. Several times she thought about calling him and begging him not to do it. In the end, she didn't because she'd made the decision to stand by him on this and she wouldn't back out now. A month after she'd returned to New York she heard about her foster parents' accident in the bayou. She had her suspicions that her grandfather had a hand in their deaths but she didn't ask because, quite honestly, she was glad they couldn't hurt anyone else ever again.

The Day of Ravaging, as it had come to be called, arrived and Juliana paced the apartment she shared with Kalika. Her phone was in her hand and she stared at Cole's number for several minutes before she finally called him. She wasn't going to beg him not to do it but she did need to talk to him. There was something she needed to say, something he needed to know, just in case.

********************A&O********************

When his phone rang and he saw it was Juliana calling, Cole closed his eyes. He hoped it wasn't a last ditch effort to try to convince him not to go through with it. "Hey, Jules," he said when he answered.

"Hi. I've been doing some thinking and there's something you need to know, Cole, something I need to tell you."

"This sounds serious. What is it, Jules?" he asked with a frown.

"I love you. I'm **in love** with you, Cole. I just needed you to know that in case... in case you die today. I'll let you go, I know you have things to do and you should spend some time with your mom and dad. I hope this isn't goodbye forever," she said and hung up before he could say anything, and before her voice broke with the tears that were sliding silently down her cheeks. She was glad she had homework to focus on or she'd drive herself crazy with worry.

Cole stared at his phone. Her admission was almost enough to make him change his mind. Almost. In the end he went through with it because, if he survived, he could finally be with her and be what she needed; a strong mate who could protect her always.

********************A&O********************

Juliana was making herself a snack when there was a knock on the front door. She smelled wolf when she reached it and smiled. "Hey, Trevor, Skye, what's up?"

Skye was fairly new to the pack, having joined only a few weeks ago, because the Manhattan Pack was more accepting of 'her kind', aka homosexuals. "Hey, Juliana. Trevor and I are here to take you out to get your mid off of things happening elsewhere. So, get your bag, girl, and let's go."

Jules smiled a little. "Mama. She must have told Chris what was going on back in Aspen Creek and he sent you two to keep me company."

"Pretty much, yep, so come on," Trevor replied.

Juliana tucked her phone in her pocket, grabbed her bag, and let them take her out. She had to admit that was better than pacing the apartment waiting for the call to come in.

********************A&O********************

Pain. So much pain. Everyone he'd talked with told him it hurt but that still didn't prepare him for just how **much** it hurt. The first slash of claws made him scream but he wasn't the only one. Eventually he became numb to it as darkness ate at his vision. 'I'm sorry, Jules,' he thought because he was sure he was dying.

Several hours later his eyes opened slowly. He still hurt and his throat felt dry, but he was alive. By god he'd beaten the odds! He heard a shifting near him and turned his head to find himself being watched by Anna and Charles.

"Welcome back," Anna said to him. "You waking up will make a lot of people very happy."

"Person I'm most worried about it Jules," he said and coughed a little.

"Here, let's get you sitting up so you can get some water in you, and some food," Anna said and once he was upright she set a tray on his lap. It had three bottles of water and a plate of nearly raw roast beef.

Cole's stomach growled and he look embarrassed. But he dug into the meat and gobbled it up. When he was done he closed his eyes a moment. "Does Jules know yet?"

"No, we decided to let you be the one to tell her," Anna replied. She took her phone out and used the speed dial feature to call her daughter's phone then handed it to him.

********************A&O********************

When her phone rang and she saw it was her mother calling, Juliana feared the worst. Her hands were shaking when she answered. "Mama?"

"Actually, it's me," Cole said when she answered.

"Cole? Oh my god.. you're... you're okay." Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I was so scared... but you're really okay."

"Yeah, I am. Your mom thought you'd want to hear it from me so she gave me the phone." He heard her crying and shifted on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I've been worried sick and... these are the okay kind of tears, I promise," she told him.

He laid back with a sigh. "Okay. I'll let you talk to your mom now," he said. "Bye," he added and handed the phone back to Anna.

Anna took it and left the room. "Hi sweetie. As long as he's able to gain control of his wolf he'll be fine."

"Hi mama. I know, I'm just glad he didn't die," she said softly. "And I wish I knew **why** he felt he **had** to risk it."

'Me too,' Anna thought. "It's hard to say, honey," she said out loud. "Go on now, it's late on your end, you need to get some sleep."

Juliana blushed a little. "It is. But... I couldn't sleep until I knew, one way or another. I'm safe, I'm at my Alpha's. He thought it would be best for me to come here for the phone call and I agreed with him."

"That's our girl, always thinking of the risk to others," Anna said. "Rest now, honey. I'll call you tomorrow with an update." By the time she was back in the room Cole was asleep again. She settled in the chair to watch over him and wait for him to wake up.

********************A&O********************

"Now that you're **really** awake and you've eaten something, we need to talk," Anna said. She was sitting across from Cole at Bran and Aria's kitchen table.

Cole lifted his gaze to her. "Did I do something wrong, Mrs. Cornick?"

"No, Cole, you didn't do anything wrong. I want to talk to you about why you were so intent on trying the Change despite the fact you stood a greater chance of dying than you did surviving. I know you care about Jules and you worry about her feelings. You had to know it would have devastated her if you'd died."

"I know, Mrs. Cornick. I almost changed my mind yesterday, after Jules called me." He didn't shy away from her scrutiny. "I did it because I'm in love with her and I didn't want her to have to watch me grow old and die. I wanted to be a mate she could depend on to always be there to protect her. I mean... I know we aren't, um, mates right now but..."

"That's probably one of the most romantic things I have ever heard as well as one of the most stupid. Your death would have broken her. Charles, Bran, Samuel and I were all trying to figure out how to keep her from wanting to die too." Anna shook her head. "I'm just glad I'm not having to plan my daughter's funeral."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Cornick. I never meant to put you or anyone else through such turmoil," Cole said and this time he did look down at the table in shame.

"I know, Cole. You were thinking with your heart and not your head," Anna replied.

Bran was listening to their conversation from the hallway leading into the kitchen. The boy was sincere in his feelings for Juliana as well as his shame over causing them all to worry about her safety. "Will you excuse us Anna, I'd like to speak with Cole alone," he said as he made his presence known. He noticed the way Cole stiffened as if he'd been unaware of his presence, which was likely, but his daughter-in-law was nonplussed. She'd been pack long enough she was used to Bran's ability to just suddenly seem to be there.

"Of course," Anna said and left them alone.

Bran took the chair Anna left and watched the boy, no, the young man, across from him. "You genuinely love my granddaughter, I heard that in your voice. Before I will allow you to pursue a relationship with her you will have to learn complete control. I will not let her be in danger from anyone."

"I understand," Cole replied. He didn't want to be a danger to her either.

"Tonight you will be brought into the pack and then you will begin working with either Charles, Anna, or I to learn control. Juliana will not be allowed around you until **I** am certain you are not a danger to her."

"I would never hurt her, sir," Cole countered.

"Not intentionally, no, but a wolf that has no control is not a rational beast. You are allowed to talk with her on the phone but there will be no physical interaction, is that clear?"

Cole swallowed. "Yes sir," he replied. The Marrok's word was law and he would abide by it even if it hurt.

********************A&O********************

"Are you serious?" Kara asked when Cole told her about the conversation.

"Completely," Cole replied. "The Marrok is worried about Jules' safety so until he's sure I'm safe, I can't be around her."

"Well, new wolves **can** be dangerous, but to not let you around her at all, not even with her parents around? That doesn't seem fair to me," Kara replied.

"Maybe not, but he's the Marrok. What am I going to do, argue with him?" he said glumly.

Kara hugged her friend. "I'm so sorry," she said because it was all she could think of **to** say.

"Thanks, Kara." He'd had plans for Christmas break he now had to cancel because he wouldn't be able to see Jules when she came home. This was going to really suck. All he could do, though, was focus on gaining control so he could be with her.

********************A&O********************

The semester seemed to fly by and Juliana was anxious for Christmas break so she could go home. This visit would be longer than her last one and she was excited about getting to run through the snow with **both** of her best friends. Thanks to Kara she knew that Cole looked a lot like a regular wolf, in coloring, but she still couldn't wait to see him herself.

She bid her roommate goodbye and headed to the airstrip with her luggage. Her parents met her there and she and Anna talked on the flight back to Aspen Creek. She'd been a bit surprised when she found out the entire Stavros clan would be flying in closer to Christmas to spend the holiday with Thea and Cyrus.

"Thea is absolutely thrilled her family will be there this year. She said Christmas has always been a huge deal for them," Anna said.

"Poor Asil, he'll be all grumbly about so many humans in the house," Jules said with a laugh.

"Knowing him, he'll spend all his time in his greenhouse with his roses," Anna countered.

"True, mama, very true."

********************A&O********************

When the plane landed and Juliana descended she expected to see two familiar faces. Only one was there. "Where's Cole?" she asked with a frown.

"He didn't tell you?" Kara asked.

"Tell me what?"

Before Kara could answer her Anna spoke up. "Bran has ordered Cole to stay away from you until he is positive Cole has his wolf under control so he's not a danger to you."

Juliana frowned. "That's absurd! Cole would never hurt me, you know that mama, even grandpa knows that."

"I know he wouldn't, sweetheart, but the Marrok's word is law and Cole has to obey his Alpha."

"It's not fair!" Jules said in a rare sign of anger.

"I didn't say I agreed with him, honey," Anna told her.

Juliana slid into the backseat of her father's truck, next to Kara, and crossed her arms. She needed to talk with her grandfather. He was being overbearing and dumb. "Is there a surprise welcome party this time?" she asked.

"No, not this time, honey. We thought you'd be more comfortable without it," Anna replied.

********************A&O********************

When they got back to the house Juliana and Kara spent time together talking before Kara headed home to give Jules time with her parents. Juliana had other ideas. "Mama, I'm gonna go talk to grandpa," she said and headed for the shed where the snowmobiles were kept.

"Good luck!" Anna called to her daughter. She was going to need it.

********************A&O********************

Aria heard her front door open and went to see who was stopping by. The pack knew they were welcome to walk in whenever they needed to see their Alpha so she knew it could easily be one of them. She wasn't entirely surprised, however, when she saw Juliana since she knew her granddaughter was home for the holiday and no doubt was aware of her grandfather's decision regarding Cole. "Hey, you," she said and hugged her before motioning towards the hall where Bran's study was. "He's in there. Try to remember he's not just an Alpha, not just the Marrok, but a grandfather who is worried about the safety of his granddaughter, as well," she said gently.

Juliana nodded and went to the study door. Once there she knocked lightly then stepped inside.

"There's our little wolf," Bran said when she stepped into his office. "I thought you'd be spending time with your parents."

"I was, but I need to talk to you, grandpa," she replied. "Why did you order Cole to stay away from me?"

"I don't expect you to understand but I did it to protect you, Juliana. He's a new wolf and he's quite dominant. In a smaller pack I could see him being in a high position. I will not let you be in danger. Until we know he has control of his wolf, he isn't allowed around you."

"That's not fair! You **know** he'd never hurt me and even if he **did** have control issues, papa could easily control him and mama could just hit him with her Omega gifts."

"This is not open for debate, Juliana. I will do what I feel is best for those I care about even if they do not like my decisions."

Juliana knew that tone, there was no arguing with him about this. "Fine. Merry Christmas, Marrok," she said and left.

Bran sighed once he knew she was out of earshot. Her calling him Marrok instead of grandpa hurt a bit but she was young. In time she would understand why he did it.

"I see that didn't go very well," Aria said as she went to her mate.

"No. She's angry but she'll understand, in time," Bran replied.

"And in the meantime she pulls away and hurts you both." Aria slid onto his lap. "Maybe you should consider a compromise; let them see each other as long as either Anna or Charles is there as well. Just think on it, love," she said before she gave him a quick kiss and left so he could get back to work. She knew her mate. Making the suggestion then letting him think about it was the best way to get him to see reason.

********************A&O********************

"Why didn't you tell me the Marrok ordered you to stay away from me?" Jules asked Cole on the phone once she was back at the house.

"I.. thought your parents told you and you just didn't want to talk about it," he replied. "I'm sorry, I should have said something," he added. "I hate this. I wanted so badly to be there when you got off the plane." There was so much he wanted, needed to tell her but he wanted to do it in person, not on the phone.

"Me too. I even tried to talk to him but he wouldn't listen to me," Juliana said with a sigh.

"We'll just have to deal with it until he says I'm safe. I mean, it sucks, but I'd rather know you're safe, you know?"

Juliana smiled even though he couldn't see it. "I know. Ugh, I'm still mad at him though," she said with a yawn.

"You should go to bed, Jules, your body says it's two hours later than the clock. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay. Goodnight, Cole," she replied and hung up.

********************A&O********************

For several days Juliana avoided her grandfather. She was angry and hurt by his actions, by his insistence that Cole was a danger even with others around, and that she was too blind to see it. He made her feel inferior, weak, as if she didn't know how to keep herself safe. Maybe she didn't know as much as he did, and maybe she wasn't as strong as a dominant wolf, but she wasn't a weakling either.

"Jules, honey, holding onto your anger isn't good for you," Anna told her daughter.

"He thinks I'm a weakling, that I'm too stupid to know how to keep myself safe, mama. I'm surprised he even let me go to New York since I'm so inferior and so incapable of taking care of myself," she said, anger and hurt in her voice.

"Jules, that's not what he..."

"Yes, it is," Juliana said, cutting her mother off. "I'm gonna go for a run," she added and went to the stables where she undressed and shifted.

Anna watched her go then decided she needed to go have a talk with her father-in-law.

********************A&O********************

"You need to do something," Anna said as she strode into Bran's study.

"About?"

"This asinine decision of yours to keep Cole and Jules apart. Your decision has caused my daughter to believe you think she's weak, stupid, inferior, and incapable of taking care of herself."

Bran Cornick rarely showed any outward reaction to things he was told, unless it had to do with his family. At Anna's words he flinched. "I do not think any of those things," he growled.

"I know that, but that's what Juliana believes. You need to fix this."

"Where is she right now?"

"She's gone for a run. She probably went to that little thicket she used to spend so much time at before she went off to college," Anna replied and went home.

********************A&O********************

Bran shifted quickly and went in search of his granddaughter. He'd never intended for his concern to make her doubt herself. His mate was right, he needed to compromise if he wanted his granddaughter to stop doubting her own worth... and to stop being angry with him. He wasn't entirely sure which hurt more, that he'd caused her to doubt her own worth or that she was so angry she wouldn't even acknowledge their familial bond.

It didn't take him long to find her. Anna was right, she was at the thicket she loved so much. He approached slowly so as to not startle her. She was curled up on some leaves, there was only a light dusting of snow because the bushes and vines were so thick, and he saw when she realized he was there.

********************A&O********************

As soon as she reached the thicket she curled up on some leaves and tucked her nose under her tail. She **was** a weakling. She couldn't even make a human leave her alone. She'd had to be rescued by Kalika. Of course her grandfather would think she wasn't capable of taking care of herself. She didn't hear his approach but the wind shifted a little and carried her grandfather's scent to her. Her ears twitched and she lifted her head to look at him.

 _'Your mother came to see me. She says you believe I think you're weak, stupid, inferior and incapable of taking care of yourself. I don't think any of those things, little wolf. You are one of the strongest people I know, Juliana. The things you have survived, a weak person wouldn't have.'_ He moved closer to her as he spoke in her head. _'Maybe I have been unreasonable in my desire to protect you. You are my granddaughter and I fear something will take you from us, the way all the others were, but I need to remember you've already survived so much, including the attack that brought you into our lives. I will allow Cole to spend time with you provided Charles or Anna is there at all times.'_

Juliana hopped up and made a happy yipping sound before she went to nuzzle her grandfather in thanks.

Bran returned the nuzzling then nipped her ear. _'No more of this thinking you are weak or inferior, understood?'_

Juliana ducked her head a bit in agreement.

 _'Go on now, your mother is worried about you,'_ he told her and watched her go.

********************A&O********************

It was early evening, Juliana had just returned to human form and was scarfing down food, when the sound of a familiar car pulled up outside. She grinned and hopped up to go greet her visitor.

When Bran had contacted him and told him he needed to see him, Cole was a little worried that he'd done something wrong. Pulling into Juliana's driveway he couldn't help but be excited about seeing her. He wasn't sure **how** she got the Marrok to change his mind, but now he could tell her everything he'd been wanting to say since the summer. He got out of his car and bounded up the steps to the porch just as the door opened. Cole stopped and stared. It was like he was seeing her for the first time and part of him was. "God you're beautiful," he said without thought.

Juliana blushed at the compliment. "I'm a mess. I just got back from a run a little bit ago and my hair is a mess."

"You look beautiful, Jules," he said again.

"Thank you. Come in. I was getting ready to have some pie, want some?" she asked.

"Sure." He moved closer to her and breathed in her scent. She smelled like cinnamon to him. He liked it.

"Hello Cole," Anna said when he followed Juliana into the kitchen.

"Hello, Mrs. Cornick."

"I'm going to be in the living room. I can at least give you two a **little** privacy," Anna told them and left.

Juliana started to walk to the table and Cole reached out to gently grip her arm. When she looked up at him he lifted his other hand to her cheek. "There's something you need to know, Jules. I'm in love with you, too. It's the reason I risked the Change; so I could be **with** you."

Juliana stared at him. "Cole... but... you never, I mean you've always just... I'm confused."

"I know, I was an idiot. I didn't realize you had feelings for me that went beyond friendship and I didn't want to lose what we had so I kept quiet about it. After you left for college, I started really thinking about things. I knew I wanted to be more than just friends but I didn't want to make you feel weird about it, so I talked to Kara and... she called me an idiot for not seeing what was right in front of me. I knew I had to risk the Change. I've seen how hard it is on a werewolf when their human mate grows old and dies. I couldn't do that to you."

"Wait, Kara knew why you were doing it?" Jules asked.

"Yeah. I made her promise not to tell you the real reason if I didn't make it. I didn't want you blaming yourself."

She ducked her head a bit. He knew her well, because she **would** have blamed herself if he'd died and she'd known why he was attempting the Change. "It's a little scary how well you know me," she said with a faint smile. "So, what does this mean for us? I mean, I still have three and a half years of school left."

"It means we have a long distance relationship. We'll see each other on breaks and when you graduate and come home, we'll figure out where to go from there."

"Okay," she said and her voice shook just a little.

Cole pulled her into his arms and just held her a bit. "I'm sorry it took me so long to finally admit how I felt," he said softly. He buried his nose in her hair just to fill his senses with her scent.

"It's okay Cole. At least you finally came to your senses," she teased.

Cole laughed at that. "Brat," he teased and let her go so they could sit and enjoy some of the pie Anna had made. Sure, spending most of the next three and a half years apart wasn't going to be fun, but they had a lot of years ahead of them to make up for it. And he **wanted** Jules to chase her dreams.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Disclaimer:** All cannon characters and settings belong to the brilliant mind of Patricia Briggs. The rest comes solely from my imagination. This is written merely for my own pleasure and the pleasure of others. Also, I tend to get long-winded, so some of my chapters may be long, no, not may be, will be. You have been warned.

********************A&O********************

Time was flying by too fast. As she looked at herself in the mirror, Juliana couldn't believe she was going into her last quarter of school. For the last six months she'd been interning at Stavros Building and Design. She got along really well with everyone and she was excited when she found out the business was expanding; to Montana. Cyrus was starting a branch out there and he had every intention of bringing her on board when she graduated. She was going to get to do what she enjoyed for a living and wasn't going to have to scramble to find work.

Staring at herself in the mirror, Juliana couldn't help the butterflies in her stomach. Cole had surprised her with an impromptu visit and he was waiting for her in the living room. He was taking her out to dinner and she was putting the finishing touches on the little bit of makeup she wore.

When she thought about how far they'd come since she first moved to Aspen Creek she couldn't believe it. They'd started out as friends and now they were so much more. They weren't mates, not yet, not officially anyway, but the closeness between them was the same level as that of mates.

Juliana smoothed her dress and then went to the living room where he waited. It was a dark gray silk dress that fit her like a glove. Even with two inch heels Cole was still taller than her, not that she was complaining.

"Hi there, beautiful," he said and kissed her gently.

"Hi yourself, handsome. You look good all dressed up. Well, I mean, you look good anyway but..."

Cole kissed her again to stop her. "I knew what you meant, Jules. I love this color on you," he told her then offered her his arm to escort her out. When he'd first arrived she'd tried to get him to tell her **why** he was there, he'd told her it was a surprise. What was he up to?

With Kalika's help, Cole had gotten them reservations at one of New York's more expensive restaurants. He wanted this night to be special and the romantic ambiance of the Italian restaurant would help set the mood. Cole held her hand most of the drive to the restaurant.

Juliana arched a brow when they reached the restaurant and a valet took the car to park it. She was suddenly nervous. Not bad nervous, just nervous about what he was planning with this dinner. She'd come to the conclusion some time ago that while he was in love with her and said he found her beautiful, he wasn't sexually attracted to her. After all, he'd had **no** trouble sleeping with Kelly when they were dating yet with her all he ever did was hold her or kiss her gently.

Cole waited until they were seated and their orders in before he reached over and took her hand. "Jules, there's something I need to say. I was drawn to you from the moment we met. It's taken a long time to get to this point and I don't know where life is going to take us but I do know one thing. I want to always be at your side. Tonight, I'm making you a promise to always be there when you need me. A promise to always support you and your dreams. A promise to love you until my dying day and then on into eternity. We both have things we still want to do. You have your career in architecture and I have my teaching, or I will, but this promise is not something I'll ever take back." He pulled a small velvet ring box from his pocket and opened it. Nestled inside was an iridescent teardrop shaped amethyst stone on a white gold band.

"Cole... it's beautiful," she said softly. "A promise for something more when we're both ready," she added. "I still sometimes think this is all just a dream and I'm going to wake up and find things are back the way they used to be."

"If this is a dream I don't want to wake up, Jules," he replied.

"Me either." She looked at the ring a moment then lifted her gaze to him. "Cole? Can I ask you something?" He nodded and she waited until their server delivered their meals before she continued. "Why don't you desire me? I mean, I know you love me and you want to protect me but..."

Cole stared at her. "Jules, what on earth makes you think I don't desire you?" he asked.

She looked down at the table. "You've never... even done more than kiss me and I **know** you did a lot more than that with Kelly and that was only after a few months of dating. We've been together over three years now."

Cole reached out and took her hand, causing her to look at him. "Jules, you have no idea just how much I **do** desire you. That, in high school, that was just sex. Anything between us would be so much more and I wanted to be sure you were ready for more. I don't want you to ever feel pressured by me." He growled softly. "You have no idea how much willpower it takes to keep from just saying the hell with it and push you up against a wall. Damn it, Jules, I crave you but you're worth waiting for."

Juliana tucked her hair behind her ears. "Here I was thinking you loved me but weren't attracted to me when really you're just being a gentleman. Have I told you lately just how amazing you are?" she asked.

"You're the amazing one, Jules." The restaurant had a small dance floor where couples could slow dance and he led her out onto it to dance with her. "I love you, Jules," he murmured in her ear.

"I love you too." It still amazed her to be able to say it and mean it.

Cole stayed for two days then headed back to Aspen Creek. He knew in just a few months she would be coming home for good.

********************A&O********************

"I can't believe four years have gone by already and you're leaving us," Kalika said as she helped Jules pack her things. Her graduation was the next day and then her banishment ceremony so she could go home.

"It doesn't seem like it's been that long, does it?" Jules replied. "I'm gonna miss the late night ice cream runs," she added with a laugh.

"You have to come back to visit, and when you and Cole finally get married I expect an invitation," Kali replied.

"You can count on it." Jules stopped to study her. "Things okay with you and Skye?"

"Honestly? I don't know. Part of me wants to say the hell with it, throw caution to the wind and risk it all but the sensible part of me doesn't want to hurt my family and friends. She's not pressuring me to be a wolf, that's all on me. I just... I can see now why Cole risked it because I can't imagine how hard it will be for her to watch me grow old. Then again, I don't even know if we're still a couple so that may be moot. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine, Jules," she told her. Truth was Kalika was in love and it scared the hell out of her.

"I'll try not to worry too much," Juliana replied.

A 'Bon Voyage' party was thrown for her and those who'd become friends with her since she'd come there all came to celebrate with her. Many were pack members but not all. Skye was among them. "Hey," Juliana said as she approached her. "So, I'm going to be that nosy friend who feels compelled to stick her nose where it may not belong. Are you mad at Kali? She's been a bit down the last few days and no it's not because I'm going home to Aspen Creek."

Skye thought about the question. "I'm not really mad, just frustrated. I care about Kali but she seems to think it's not fair to me because she's human. I don't give a damn about that. She's fucking amazing and... ugh."

"Have you told her what you just told me?"

Skye started to say 'Of course I have' when she closed her mouth and her eyes widened. "Excuse me, I need to go talk to my girl," she said and made a beeline for Kali.

Jules shook her head and went to get something to munch on.

"You're going to be missed, you know that, right?" Trevor said to her. "But you better keep in touch, missy," he added.

"I will. It's too bad I can't take my two favorite pack members back with me; you would be bored out of your mind and Skye isn't going to leave Kali."

Trevor hugged her. "If there were hotties to oogle I'd be okay," he joked. He wiped his eyes and grumbled. "I said I wasn't going to cry but better now than tomorrow at your banishment ceremony."

Juliana shuddered. "I'm not looking forward to that part. It's **awful**. You're suddenly all alone and it's just overwhelming."

"It sounds horrible," Trevor agreed. "No more sad talk, this is a party. Let's dance," he added and turned the music up.

Juliana laughed and put her troubled thoughts aside. She would have to deal with that soon enough.

********************A&O********************

Bran joined Charles and Anna on the flight to New York. He'd already informed the pack he would be bringing Juliana back into the pack soon after her banishment from the Manhattan Pack was done. Why? Because he didn't want his granddaughter to go so many hours without being in a pack again.

"She's finally coming home. I can't wait to be able to unpack her things and put them back in her room where they belong," Anna said as they headed across country to their destination.

"We've all missed her," Bran agreed. "I have it on good authority that she will be missed when she leaves New York, too."

"Of course she will be. Everyone loves our Jules," Anna said proudly.

Bran smirked at her comment. It was true though. Because of her submissiveness, Juliana was adored by the people who came to know her.

********************A&O********************

Bran couldn't have been more proud than he was in that moment when he watched his granddaughter walk across the stage and get her degree. She was a bright light in the long years of darkness he'd lived through. He knew he would feel this way again when first Lexia and then Amaris also made that walk.

********************A&O********************

Several hours after her graduation, Juliana was surrounded by the wolves she'd called pack for the last four years. They were gathered to say goodbye to her and there were a lot of hugs and even some tears. When her Alpha stepped forward Juliana swallowed. "I hate this part," she muttered and squared her shoulders.

"No one ever likes this part," Chris told her then began.

Charles and Anna moved closer to their daughter to be there to steady her once it was done. She would be given a little time to get herself oriented and then Bran would bring her back into the Marrok where she belonged.

Juliana was leaning against her mother when Trevor approached. "I've been thinking about what you said, about how you'd take your two favorite pack members with you if you could. Would the Marrok Pack accept someone like me?" he asked.

Juliana straightened and gave him a serious look. "Are you serious about that? Aspen Creek, Montana is the middle of nowhere."

"I am aware of that, dahling," he said flippantly. "Honestly, as accepting ad Chris is, I don't always feel comfortable with the pack. I think it's easier for Skye just because there are only two other females in the pack and neither of them has an issue with her."

Juliana looped arms with him. "Let's go talk to my grandpa then."

Trevor blinked. "Wait, the **Marrok** is your.. oh, duh, I should have... that means your father is... how did I **not** figure that out before now?" he asked.

Jules laughed softly. "You never really had reason to think about it," she replied. "Come on," she added and went to Bran.

Bran watched his granddaughter approach with what others would have said was neutrality as if he didn't care one way or another. He'd perfected that look but it wasn't always easy to maintain where Juliana was concerned.

"Grandpa, this is my dear friend, Trevor Canton. He's interested in relocating to Aspen Creek, to the Marrok, but is unsure he'd be welcome."

"Why is that, pup?" Bran asked the wolf in question.

Trevor met his gaze briefly then lowered his head and tilted it submissively. "Most packs are still unwelcoming to a wolf who is gay," he replied.

"Is the Manhattan Pack so unwelcoming?"

"No sir, it's not that. My Alpha is accepting and many of the pack have no real issue with me, but there are times when I don't feel very comfortable with them," he admitted.

Bran studied him. "There are wolves in the Marrok who will not be accepting. Many of our wolves are old wolves, born in a time when homosexuality was kept hidden. But we also have a number of younger wolves with whom you might get along. Let's discuss this after Juliana's joining."

"Thank you, Marrok," Trevor said and moved away as Charles and Anna once again took up position on either side of Jules.

The joining was a little rough so soon after the banishment but when she was suddenly reconnected to her family Juliana let out a soft gasp and tears blurred her vision.

"There you are, little one," Charles murmured to her. When she turned to him he hugged her tightly. "Don't ask me to let you move across country again, I don't think I could do it."

"I won't, papa," she promised.

When Trevor informed his Alpha he too was leaving Chris wasn't completely surprised. "She's become like a little sister to you, figured you might decide to leave." He iinformed the others and more than a few seemed relieved by it.

"Damn it, that's not fair," Skye told him. "I'm losing two of my favorite people at once. I guess Kali and I will just have to visit, often, with the Marrok's permission of course. Take care of him for me, Jules. You know how much trouble he can get himself into."

Juliana laughed at that. "Don't worry, I'll watch out for him, Skye."

Once Trevor's banishment was done they went to help him pack what he wanted to take right away. Sasha and Skye would oversee the rest of the packing and get his stuff shipped to Montana.

********************A&O********************

On the flight to Aspen Creek Anna and Jules took turns filling Trevor in on what the town was like, what the humans were like, and most of all what the wolves were like. They went into detail about everything they could think of, who to be cautious of, who was safe, and what to expect in October. It was a lot for him to process but he did well enough. "The wild card in all this is Asil. He's... unpredictable, he could go either way, so around him, be careful until you know how he feels about you being gay," Anna told him.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," Trevor promised.

"Until we have a place for you, you will use one of the guest rooms in the home I share with my mate and our daughter. We are careful with what we show Lexia of that part of ourselves because she is only eight and not quite old enough to fully understand it all," Bran told him.

"I will be careful, Marrok," Trevor promised.

"Good," was all Bran said.

"Oh, Trev, you should know there are over seventy wolves in our pack so it's a little... well, overwhelming, not like the banishment ceremony is, but being connected to so many at once is a bit of a whammy," Juliana told him as they landed.

"Oh, that's going to be fun," Trevor replied with a dry chuckle.

********************A&O********************

When the plane landed Cole had to force himself to wait for Juliana to get off. After four long years his girl was **finally** home for good. No more long distances, no more aching to see her but not being able to, no more running in the mountains and wishing she was at his side. When she finally stepped off the plane he headed for her.

Juliana saw him there and ran into his arms. When he picked her up and spun her while he hugged her she laughed. "Put me down, you silly wolf," she teased.

Cole kissed her quickly and put her on her feet. That was when he saw the wolf who'd traveled with them. He'd met Trevor on one of his visits to Jules. "I wasn't expecting to see you. Does this mean you're joining the pack?"

"It does. Alas, I couldn't live without the laughter of our favorite submissive," Trevor said dramatically.

"Oh boy, you are going to shake things up here," Anna said and shook her head.

********************A&O********************

Trevor was given a day to adjust to the time difference and his surroundings before he was brought into the pack. "Holy hell, that packed a punch," he said when he was able to catch his breath.

"I warned you," Juliana told him.

"True, true. This is... amazing, being connected to so many others. Losing this when you came to New York had to have been really rough on you."

Jules nodded. "I felt lost and alone. It's not something I ever want to feel again."

"You won't have to," Cole murmured. "You're home and I, for one, have no intention of letting you go away again," he added with a soft growl.

Juliana blushed a little and leaned into him. "We should take Trevor on a run into the mountains. He's always been a city boy so he's never felt the real freedom we have here."

"Sounds good to me, you game, Trevor?" Cole asked.

Trevor nodded. "Oh yes. Jules has regaled me with tales of how great it feels," he replied.

Trevor's first run into the wilderness of Montana was enthralling. There were so many new scents for him to learn, so many trails to follow. He stayed near Cole and Juliana and the trio were joined by Kara as they ran. A sliver of a moon rose above them and they lifted their voices to it in song.

********************A&O********************

A week after Juliana returned to Aspen Creek she and Kara took Trevor shopping in Troy. She had no idea they'd gotten her out of the house so Cole could talk with her parents about something very important.

"Hello, Cole, Jules isn't here," Anna said when she answered her door to find him standing there.

"I know. Kara and Trevor took her shopping with them. I'm actually here to speak with you and Mr. Cornick," Cole replied.

"Alright. Come inside and have a seat, I'll go get Charles. He's downstairs working."

Cole nodded and sat in one of the chairs to wait for them.

"We have a visitor," Anna told her husband. "Cole is here to speak with both of us."

Charles gave his wife a look. "Let's go see what the boy wants, then."

"He's not really a boy anymore, Charles," Anna pointed out.

Charles made a dismissive noise. To him he was. "Anna tells me you want to speak with us. What's this about?" he asked Cole once they were in the living room.

"You know that I love Jules, with every fiber of my being. I know I have your blessing to ask her to marry me when we're both ready for that and I'm grateful. But... I want more than marriage. I want to ask Jules to be my mate. I'm just not sure how to do it or if there's some special words that have to be said or something."

"There is a ceremony that is performed but the mate bond itself is more an agreement between the two of you. You tell her what you feel, what you want, and let her decide if it's what she wants as well," Anna told him. Of course her daughter **wanted** that with him, she'd felt that way for a long time.

"Does this mean I have your blessing for that as well?" Cole asked.

"Yes. You've proven how much she means to you. But know this, if you ever hurt her you will suffer, greatly," Charles told him.

"If I ever hurt her I'd deserve it," Cole replied. "Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Cornick."

Anna shook her head. "Cole, you're pack and you're going to be family, no more of this Mr. and Mrs. Cornick stuff. We're Charles and Anna."

"That... will take some getting used to but okay. Anna."

"Good. Go make your plans," Anna told him and watched him go.

"Does he really think Juliana won't want to be his mate?" Charles asked once he was gone.

Anna laughed. "I think the poor thing is too nervous to realize how silly it is to **be** nervous."

Charles smirked a little. "Something tells me our daughter will be keeping him on his toes for a long time to come."

"Oh lord, I need to have the 'talk' with her. And someone needs to warn him about the risks so they're careful," Anna said suddenly. The thought of her daughter getting pregnant and having to go through miscarriage made he feel a little ill.

"We'll take care of it," Charles told her before he went back to work.

********************A&O********************

"Jules, sweetheart, there's something I need to talk to you about," Anna said that evening.

Juliana was at her drawing board working on a design for a house Stavros Building and Design was hired to build but she set her pencil down and turned to her. "What's wrong, mama?"

Anna pulled a chair over so she could sit near her daughter. She was glad her daughter had added two comfortable chairs the last time she redecorated her room. "There's not anything wrong, not really. I realized there are some things I never talked about with you, because of your age, and I need to fix that. I'm not going to give you the birds and the bees talk," she said at the look on her daughter's face. "Er, at least, not the way you think. You're an intelligent young woman, you know what sex is. However, there are things you need to know about werewolves. Because our change is so violent we cannot carry a pregnancy to term. Your Aunt Chloe is unique because she's part fae. If, when your relationship with Cole progresses to that point, please be careful. It would hurt my heart to see you go through a miscarriage."

Juliana shuddered at the thought. "That's so sad," she said softly. "But it makes sense. What about when the woman is human and the man is the werewolf?" she asked curiously.

"Sadly, many pregnancies between wolf and human end in miscarriage too. The only pregnancies that have a chance to survive are when the fetus is human.."

Jules blinked because her vision was suddenly blurry. "All those babies... all those families hurt by such loss. It's not fair."

"No, it's not, but it's the nature of what we are," Anna replied.

Juliana moved to where her mother was and sat on the floor to put her head in Anna's lap. "Thank you for telling me, mama. Do you think, if Cole and I got married and we wanted children, we could adopt?" she asked.

Anna ran her finger's through her daughter's hair. "That's something we don't know yet but there are a few couples looking into it. We'll see what happens." She looked down at her. "I'm glad you don't think you're too old to do this. I've missed you, sweetheart. And your papa, you have no idea how bad it has been for him. Brother Wolf was miserable without his pup around."

Juliana laughed softly. "I'll bet." She sighed and sat up. "I missed everyone so much but I think going out there was good for me, I proved to myself I can do anything I set my mind to. And I made some really good friends, like Skye and Trevor. I'm glad he came with us because he was right, there were quite a few who weren't happy with him being in the pack but the Alpha's word is law so they kept it to themselves."

"He's an interesting character, that's for sure," Anna said. "I'll let you get back to work," she added and left.

********************A&O********************

Cole debated on how he wanted to go about asking Juliana to be his mate and settled on taking her on a picnic. Why a picnic? Because he knew how much she loved the outdoors. He packed food in a basket and draped a blanket over it for them to sit on. Then he went to see her. "Hey, beautiful. I think you need a break, you've been working almost non-stop on that design," he told her once he'd gotten to her house.

"I'm almost done though," she said over her shoulder.

Cole moved to her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "A break will give you time to re-energize yourself to get it done. Besides, when was the last time you ate?"

Jules blushed. "Um... breakfast," she admitted.

"Come on, I've got lunch packed away on the 4-wheeler."

When her stomach growled she laughed softly. "Okay, okay." She let him lead her out of there and slid onto the back of the 4-wheeler once he'd gotten on. With her arms wrapped around him, Jules pressed her cheek to his back and closed her eyes. She loved being able to hold him so close and have no one's scent but her own clinging to him.

********************A&O********************

Once they reached the alcove in the mountains that had become their spot, Cole spread the blanket out and set up their food.

Juliana watched him with a faint smile. "You even brought dessert?" she said when she saw the pie.

"Mmhm, blueberry, you're favorite," he replied. He held a hand up to her and when she took it he tugged her down to the blanket with him. He kissed her slowly then forced himself to end it so he could fix their plates. "I could do that, you know," she said and he shook his head "Today **I** am taking care of **you** ," he countered.

"Okay." She sat patiently and waited for him to hand her a plate. Baked chicken breasts stuffed with mushrooms and cheese, potato salad, fresh baked bread, and the pie for dessert. It was all delicious."What's the occasion?" she asked once they'd finished eating.

"Jules, I love you more than anything else in this world. When we're ready I will follow through on this promise," he said and touched the ring on her hand. "But I don't want just a wife, just a lover. I want a mate," he said and swallowed nervously. "Will you accept me as your mate?"

Juliana stared at him. His nervousness over her reply was really sweet. She thought about how to answer and went with something she **knew** would convey her answer. She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

Cole groaned at the kiss. "Is that a yes?" he asked.

"Yes. Don't you know that's what I've wanted, what my wolf has wanted, for years?" she asked softly.

"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out," he murmured.

"I forgive you," she replied.

When they kissed again it was filled with passion, longing, and need. Now that their human halves had made the decision it was as if their wolves decided to take over and solidify the bond between them. Hands roamed, clothing was removed, and Cole's eyes gazed down at the woman he loved, at his mate, and for the first time he saw **her**. Before, when shifting, he wouldn't let himself **see** her, he didn't want to embarrass either of them. But now as he gazed down at her he let the desire he felt for her fill his eyes. "You are absolutely beautiful," he breathed and slid a hand down her body to caress her skin.

Juliana arched into his caress even as she blushed at the compliment. "When you look at me like that I **feel** beautiful," she replied.

"I will endeavor to make sure you always feel that way," he promised and then he took his time making love to her for the first time. He was careful, gentle, and he made sure her body was ready for him when he finally entered her. As they moved together their bond was solidified and it brought tears to Juliana's eyes.

Later, as they lay there relaxing in the sunlight, Juliana snuggled closer to him and buried her nose against his neck. It took a long time for them to get to this point, but looking back, Juliana realized she wouldn't change a thing. All they'd gone through, it brought them to this point and made them a stronger couple for it. This was one tie she was glad it took a while to bind, because it made them the people they were today. As her eyes drifted closed she knew, no matter where life led them now, he would always be at her side.

********************A&O********************

 **A/N:** I would like to thank those who have read, followed, favorited, or reviewed this for joining me on Juliana's adventure. As with my other stories, Juliana's and Cole's story isn't finished. When I have the time and I have my other projects done, I will pick up with these two and see where my muse takes them!


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